By ABDULHAKIM SHERMAN
newsdesk@reporter.co.ke
According to Article 138 of the Constitution, the coming General Election can be cancelled and a new election held if any of the eight presidential candidates or their running mates die on or before the scheduled election date of August 8, 2017.
It has emerged that three presidential candidates are yet to pick their security detail despite being contacted by the police with an aim of availing security personnel to them.
A person becomes a candidate upon clearance by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The eight aspirants have been cleared by IEBC for the position of President. They are : President Uhuru Kenyatta of Jubilee Party, ODM’s Raila Odinga, Cyrus Jirongo of the United Democratic Party (UDP), Ekuru Aukot of Thirdway Alliance, Abduba Dida of the Alliance for Real Change (ARC), and Independent candidates Joseph Nyagah, Michael Wainaina and Japheth Kavinga.
However, it is not clear why three presidential candidates are yet to yet to pick their security detail.
Article 138(8)(b) of the Constitution states : “a presidential election shall be cancelled and a new election held if a candidate for the election as President or Deputy President dies on or before the scheduled election date.”
The 138 (9) of the Constitution adds that a new presidential election under clause (8) shall be held within sixty days after the date set for the previous presidential election.
The law requires the police to provide security for all presidential candidates. If anything fatal were to happen to one of the candidates, the entire election process would stall.
It is not clear why three presidential candidates are yet to yet to pick their security detail despite being contacted by the police.
Meanwhile, more than 196,000 voters who audit firm KPMG revealed were involved in double registration risk being locked out of the coming General Election if the provisions of the 2016 Elections Offences Act are going to be applied.
According to the provisions of the Act, a person found guilty of double registration as a voter face a fine of Sh 1 million or imprisonment of not more than one year.
The law also provides for the blocking of such an offender from participating in subsequent elections.
Recently while releasing a report on the scrutiny of the current voter register, KPMG found 196,677 of registered voters were double registration.
Assistant Director Public Prosecutions, Mr Moses Omirera, has said the double registrations would be investigated in line with the 2016 Elections Offences Act.
“The police will investigate and prosecute those people who have been involved in multiple registration as voters,” he said.
Mr Omirera was speaking during a media workshop on election preparedness organized by the ODPP.