Independent candidates vying for political seats in the August polls have move to Court challenging a directive by the IEBC requiring them to submit copies of their supporters’ ID cards.
The Free kenya movement is challenging the regulations where IEBC sent circulars to independent candidates requiring them to provide a thousand identity card photocopies from their supporters, and 48,000 photocopies of identity cards ,for the those wishing to vie for the Presidential position.
The movement through their lawyer Danstan Omari said the requirement is extremely untenable and that the court should decalare it unconstitutional .
Omari accused the Registrar of Political Parties of placing discriminatory constraints on independent candidates vying for political seats.
The movement also want the court to allow them together with other independent candidates vying for elective posts to form coalitions and associations like other political parties.
Regulation 24 (2) (c), 28 (2) (c), 32 (2) (c) and 36 (2) (c) of the Elections General Regulations require Independent Candidates to submit forms set out in the schedule of the regulations together with identity cards of their supporters.
Omari insisted that said in the 2013 General Elections that four elected members of parliament were voted in as independent candidates while in 2017 13 made to the August house and the number is likely to increase in 2022.
On the issue of submitting copies of supporter’s IDs, the candidates say it’s discriminatory because political parties are only required to submit a membership list that has been certified by the Registrar of Political Parties.
“This is discriminatory against independent candidates who are required to submit to returning officers duly filled form of their supporters which must be accompanied by a copy of the identification document of their supporter,” reads court papers.
They argue that the commission has placed a heavier burden on independent candidates to get the signatures of their supporters together with their identification documents.
Independent candidates vying for political seats in the August polls have move to Court challenge a directive by the IEBC requiring them to submit copies of their supporters’ ID cards.
The Free kenya movement is challenging the regulations where IEBC sent circulars to independent candidates requiring them to provide a thousand identity card photocopies from their supporters, and 48,000 photocopies of identity cards ,for the those wishing to vie for the Presidential position.
The movement through their lawyer Danstan Omari said the requirement is extremely untenable and that the court should decalare it unconstitutional .
Omari accused the Registrar of Political Parties of placing discriminatory constraints on independent candidates vying for political seats.
The movement also want the court to allow them together with other independent candidates vying for elective posts to form coalitions and associations like other political parties.
Regulation 24 (2) (c), 28 (2) (c), 32 (2) (c) and 36 (2) (c) of the Elections General Regulations require Independent Candidates to submit forms set out in the schedule of the regulations together with identity cards of their supporters.
Omari insisted that said in the 2013 General Elections that four elected members of parliament were voted in as independent candidates while in 2017 13 made to the August house and the number is likely to increase in 2022.
On the issue of submitting copies of supporter’s IDs, the candidates say it’s discriminatory because political parties are only required to submit a membership list that has been certified by the Registrar of Political Parties.
“This is discriminatory against independent candidates who are required to submit to returning officers duly filled form of their supporters which must be accompanied by a copy of the identification document of their supporter,” reads court papers.
They argue that the commission has placed a heavier burden on independent candidates to get the signatures of their supporters together with their identification documents.
