Political Parties to submit nomination rules by October 18 - IEBC

All political parties intending to participate in the 2022 election are required to submit nomination rules to the commission by October 18, 2021, IEBC has said.

In a notice, chairman Wafula Chebukati said each political party shall submit their rules in both hard and soft copy versions.

The writing should be done through an authorised party official and sent to the commission headquarters at Anniversary Towers, Nairobi.

"The rules submitted by each political party shall be the rules as deposited with the Registrar of Political Parties," Chebukati said.

"Political party nomination rules which do not adhere to the applicable rules and guidelines shall be rejected."

Chebukati said upon receipt of the nomination rules, the Commission shall, within 14 days, review the rules.

"This is to ensure compliance with the prescribed regulations and require any non-compliant political party to amend the rules to ensure such compliance within an additional 14 days," he said.

He said the commission shall then, not later than November 15, issue compliant political parties with a Certificate of Compliance.

The nomination rules of all political parties must strictly comply with the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and all relevant laws.

"The party nomination rules shall prescribe the process by which political parties nominate candidates for nomination," he said.

Political parties face a daunting task in their nominations after the IEBC announced it will reject any list that does not comply with the two-thirds gender rule.

In the latest effort to achieve the elusive gender principle, especially in Parliament, the IEBC said it will only accept compliant lists.

Chebukati said the enforcement of the rule stems from a High Court ruling that directed the agency to devise administrative mechanisms to ensure gender parity is realised among parties during nominations for parliamentary elections.

Article 81(b) of the Constitution provides that “not more than two-thirds of the members of elective public bodies shall be of the same gender.”