Uhuru's presidential bid receives major boost after new IEBC announcement

janet ndila

April 13, 2017 7:58 AM

President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election bid has received a major boost after new announcement by the electoral body.

President Uhuru Kenyatta

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) announced that cabinet secretaries were free to campaign for him.

Speaking on Tuesday at a Nairobi hotel, IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati stated that cabinet secretaries were exempted from a law barring other civil servants from campaigning for any politician. “Cabinet secretaries are exempted from the law (barring civil servants from campaigning). They can propagate party activities,” Mr Chebukati said.However, he warned that stern action would be taken against civil servants who were caught campaigning which is against the law.

“But the rest of the civil servants are bound by the law and if reports of their campaigning come to us, we will act. Our enforcement team is ready and will take action,” the IEBC boss warned.In a statement which is likely to spark controversy, especially from the Opposition, Chebuki highlighted that it was difficult for the electoral body to bar the President or Governors from using state resources to campaign.

“The law defines what the President, governors can do. They are still in charge of the particular resources they are using,” Mr Chebukati said.Chebikati's announcement comes after the Opposition questioned why Cabinet secretaries were campaigning for the President which according to them was against the law.This prompted ODM leader Raila Odinga to announce that if elected as President in the upcoming polls, his first act would be to sack all the CS's who had campaigned for Kenyatta.Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i has been put on the spot over campaigning for the Head of State in Kisii during his educational tours.

janet ndila