Former Nyali MP Hezron Awiti has cautioned the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission against being used to settle political scores.
Awiti said the electoral agency should not block candidates seeking elective positions in the country due to pressure from certain quarters.
He said it seems IEBC is being used to target certain politicians in the country to block them from vying, under impeachment and corruption allegations.
Awiti is vying for the Mombasa governor seat on Vibrant Democratic Party ticket.
He said the agency should allow those politicians to exhaust all the legal avenues before they are blocked from vying.
“The commission should not be used as a roadblock without giving someone a chance to defend themselves in the courts of law,” Awiti said.
On Monday, the IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati said the agency will not clear aspirants who were impeached.
Former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko, who is eyeing the Mombasa governor position, is among the people who will be affected by the IEBC’s decision.
Meanwhile, Awiti said corruption is the biggest enemy of development.
He promised to weed out corruption and streamline service delivery in Mombasa if he gets elected as governor.
“Those involved in corruption deny other people a chance to develop a country. They all belong to jail,” he said.
He also said he has already submitted his papers to the IEBC and will soon announce his running mate and launch his bid officially.
In 2017, he unsuccessfully vied for the seat and garnered 4,000 votes.
He said VDP had filed candidates in all elective posts except the presidency, where he said the party was solidly behind Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition presidential candidate Raila Odinga.
He called for peaceful campaigns, asking the police to arrest and prosecute politicians recruiting the youth and using them to cause violence.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
