- Kombe served as Magarini MP between 1997 and 2002 following his election on a Kanu ticket.
- Some of those cleared include ODM's Gideon Mung'aro, Aisha Jumwa of UDA and lawyer George Kithi who is vying on a PAA ticket.
Former Magarini MP Noti Kombe was on Tuesday blocked from running for Kilifi governor over questions about his degree certificate.
Kilifi county returning officer Hussein Gurre told reporters Kombe's bid was rejected because of "issues with his degree certificate."
Kombe served as Magarini MP between 1997 and 2002 following his election on a Kanu ticket.
Gurre said they have cleared six candidates to run for governor. They include ODM's Gideon Mung'aro, Aisha Jumwa of UDA and lawyer George Kithi who is running on a PAA ticket.
Others are Franco Esposito alias Kasoso Baya, a Kenyan of Italian origin who was cleared to run as an independent candidate, Michael Tinga (Ford Kenya) and Alphonce Dzombo Mbaru (Safina).
Gurre said four candidates were cleared to run for the Senate seat and another six to contest the seat of Woman Representative.
Addressing journalists after the deadline of the registration period at the Kenya Red Cross conference hall in Malindi town, Gurre said Kombe still had a small window to be cleared to run.
“He can lodge a complaint with the dispute resolution committee which is his right. We could not register him because of that particular issue but six others were cleared,” he said.
Kombe was seeking to run on the Umoja Summit Party of Kenya ticket.
Those cleared for the Senate run include Ben Kai (PAA), Caroline Chilango (ANC), Shukurani Mwabonje (UDA) and Stewart Madzayo of ODM.
Candidates cleared to vie for the woman representative position include Juliet Riziki Baya alias Kachachawa (UDA), Christine Zawadi (PAA), Mary Luvuno (independent), Gertrude Mbeyu (ODM), Maureen Ochieng (independent) and Ephie Cheri of Kadu Asili.
Gurre said the exercise went on smoothly without any violence or intimidation and has received positive remarks that the exercise was conducted smoothly.
He appealed to the aspirants and their supporters to exercise peace during the campaign period which has officially started.
Earlier Kombe told journalists that he brought papers knowing everything was okay, but since he schooled outside the country, the returning officer raised questions about his documents.
“I gave him all the documents required but he has rejected them. I do not know why he refused. He told me to go and get a police affidavit and write a letter to the IEBC chairman and see him in person,” he said.
Kombe told his supporters not to be discourage as he had received so many calls from the ground, but maintained that he would be on the ballot.
The last to be cleared was Ford Kenya's Michael Tinga who is the youngest candidate aged 25 years.
Tinga said IEBC officials did their work professionally to all people who wanted clearance certificates to vie for different seats.
He said his campaigns would be public rallies and expressed confidence that he would win because in 2014 he also contested and out of the nine candidates he emerged fourth.
“I am used to the process of vying for this seat more than the others who are starting for the first time. I also know where my votes are because winning the election is a matter of numbers,” he said.
His deputy designate Livingstone Masha thanked God for enabling them to complete the process well and his governor for choosing a youth as his deputy.
Masha urged fellow youth of Kilifi to take advantage of the opportunity given by Tinga to elect him as the governor on August 9.
(edited by Amol Awuor)