You'll have to wait longer to know Raila, Ruto running mates

Your anxiety to know the running mates of the presidential race front-runners William Ruto and Raila Odinga will have to last another three weeks.

This is after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) revised the running mates’ submission deadline from April 28, which was this Thursday, to May 16, 2022.

Also extended by the same period, is the submission of names for Deputy Governor slots.

IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati, who addressed journalists on Tuesday, April 26 at the Commission’s Anniversary Towers headquarters, however, said the submission deadline for nominees seeking MP, Woman Representative, Senator and MCA positions remains April 28, 2022.

Chebukati met representatives from Azimio la Umoja, Kenya Kwanza, Safina Party and independent candidates’ representatives.

The parties met to push for the extension of the deadline for submission of names for the running mate positions.

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From Azimio la Umoja, Raphael Tuju and ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna attended the meeting, while the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party’s Secretary-General Veronica Maina represented the William Ruto-led outfit.

Others include representatives of Safina and Chama Cha Kazi parties.

Chebukati said the names of MP, Woman Rep, MCA and Senator aspirants have to be submitted by parties, well in advance, to agencies that interrogate candidates’ integrity.

“This is to give the Commission a chance to submit the names to the [Constitution’s] Chapter Six institutions so that they can carry out due diligence on the particular aspirants,” said Chebukati.

The IEBC boss said he will soon gazette the new running mate nominees’ submission deadline.

Chebukati asked political parties to embrace the two-thirds gender rule while nominating aspirants.

Azimio la Umoja communications rep, Makau Mutua, had requested the Commission to extend the deadline of naming a presidential candidate’s running mate.

Mutua said the IEBC had earlier communicated that the submission deadline was between May 29 and June 6, 2022, yet the agency gazetted April 28 as the deadline.

"Kindly issue a relevant clarification regarding this matter (submission deadline) in order to comply with the provisions of the Constitution and also to allay the unnecessary anxiety caused by the erroneous timeline issued,” said Mutua.