The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has revoked the presidential nomination certificate issued to Walter Mong’are, alias Nyambane after discovering his academic certificates had irregularities.
Mongare was the first candidate to be cleared by IEBC on May 30, 2022, after successfully submitting the requisite documents to Chebukati.
The action by IEBC came shortly after its Chairman Wafula Chebukati summoned Umoja Summit Party Presidential candidate after a protest by Jimmy Wanjigi, a Safina party presidential flag bearer.
Wanjigi, who was disqualified by the electoral body from the presidential race for presenting transcripts instead of a degree certificate, confronted Chebukati alleging that he was being discriminated against since IEBC had cleared Mong’are under similar circumstances.
Wanjigi armed himself with a letter from the Commission for University Education (CUE), told the commission that he would graduate in December 2022, as per a letter from his Daystar university.
“You cannot apply different rules to different people. And if this is the intention and your direction as a commission then I fear greatly for the coming election,” Wanjigi said.
He insisted that his academic transcripts serve the same purpose as a degree certificate, however, his plea fell on deaf ears.
Chebukati said Wanjigi’s application was marred by many unmet requirements.
Besides the degree challenge, Chebukati said the aspirant did not raise sufficient numbers of Kenyans’ signatures to support his bid, and that there were inconsistencies in the copies of ID cards he had submitted.
