Karua urges IEBC to enforce primaries deadline

By LILLIAN ONYANGO laonyango@ke.nationmedia.com  ( email the author)

Posted  Sunday, January 20  2013 at  16:26

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Narc-Kenya presidential candidate Martha Karua has urged the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to enforce the deadline on party primaries as per the law. IEBC had set the deadline for Friday midnight.

While addressing a Sunday service at Kawangware PAG Church in Nairobi, Ms Karua said her party carried out the exercise on eight days ahead of the January 18 deadline while other parties scrambled to meet it amidst confusion and wrangles.

“Last week, we were issued with the certificates and we have been surprised by the manner in which the media is going on about two parties’ nominations as though the rest of us are not in the race,” she said.

Ms Karua urged IEBC to remain form on the primaries deadline and enforce the provisions of the law.

“Kenyans should know that the same way we have adhered with the rules, we will keep to the promises we are making to them and in the same spirit, we would deliver them within the time frames promised,” Ms Karua said.

“We are organised and were ahead of other parties to spell out the nomination rules and our candidates are now ready and campaigning” she added.

Under the Cord and Jubilee Alliances, the Wiper Democratic Movement, the Orange Democratic Movement, The National Alliance party and the United Republican Party had scheduled their nominations for January 17 with some extending the exercise to the next day.

Big losers from the parties hurriedly defected to other parties to secure their places in the March 4, General Election.

At Narc Kenya, the party closed its doors to defectors by 9pm on the deadline day having received a number of people from other parties.

Ms Karua said the law should be amended to stop losers from defecting at least three months before the elections.

“However, those who moved before the cut-off date were allowed to do so by the law but Kenyans should remember that this will determine their future and that it is not a small matter,” Ms Karua said.

On Saturday the party’s media liaison officer Lilian Lelei told the Nation they could not entertain latecomers as they had to get their documents prepared by the cut-off time.

Ms Lelei said some attempted to go against the legal provision and approached the offices on Sunday morning.

“We told them we could not accept them but welcomed them to support Martha Karua – our party leaders bid in the presidency,” she said.