Agoi cleared to contest for Vihiga governor seat

The IEBC has cleared Sabatia MP Alfred Agoi to contest for the Vihiga governor seat in the forthcoming general election scheduled on August 9.

Agoi has been cleared alongside his newly picked running mate Joyce M'maitsi.

Initially, he had picked Vincent Mmaitsi as his running mate but the IEBC disqualified him for failing to resign within the constitutional timelines.

Mmaitsi who was serving as a member of the Public County Service Board resigned on May 10, instead of February 9 as stipulated in the laws.

The lawmaker had up to the end of Tuesday to present his papers indicating his new preferred running mate.

 “We can’t bar the candidate from the race if he has met all the requirements and the only challenge is his running mate who failed to resign on time,” County returning officer Peter Tiyo told the press.

“So the candidate still has the time to rush to Nairobi, change his running mate and come back so that we can continue with the process,” he added.

While clearing the Agoi at Chavakali High school, Tiyo said they met the requirements and there was no reason to bar him.

"Agoi has been cleared after he met the requirements and now he joins the other four aspirants who had shown interest in getting clearance to fight for the Vihiga governor's position," said Tiyo.