How to qualify as a Presidential candidate in Kenya

Presidential aspirants are now scrambling to meet the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) set deadline of June 9 to submit all necessary documents which will allow them to contest for the country’s top seat.

Candidates eyeing the presidency must meet certain qualifications and are required to file specific documents in order to qualify to appear on the ballot.

These qualifications and requirements may vary slightly depending on whether the candidate is affiliated with a political party or is vying independently. In this regard, Citizen Digital has compiled a list of the minimum requirements all presidential aspirants must meet in order to contest for the presidency at the August polls.

Here are the minimum qualifications:

• Must be a Kenyan citizen by birth;
• Is qualified to stand for election as a member of Parliament;
• Must not owe allegiance to a foreign state;
• Must be a registered voter;
• Is a holder of a degree from a University recognized in Kenya;
• Is nominated by a Political Party or is an independent candidate;
• Must not be a public officer or acting in any State of public office other than, President, Deputy President or Member of Parliament;
• Must meet the moral and ethical requirements under the Leadership and Integrity Act;
• Must not hold dual citizenship unless citizenship of the other country has been obtained by operation of law without capacity to opt out;
• Must not be an undischarged bankrupt;
• Must not be a person of unsound mind;
• Must not be subject to a sentence of imprisonment of at least six months from the date of registration of candidates or date of elections;
• Must not have been found to have abused or misused state or public office or contravened Chapter Six of the Constitution; and
• Must not have been dismissed or removed from public office for contravening the provisions of Articles 75, 76, 77 and 78 of the Constitution. (All requirement for President apply to the Deputy President and there shall be no separate nomination for the deputy)"

 Requirements:

• The Candidate must submit the following documents to the Commission during the Commission Nomination:

• Certified copies of educational qualification certificates, including a Degree Certificate in accordance with Section 22 of the Elections Act, 2011 and Regulation 47 of Elections (General) Regulations, 2012.
• Where the body that issued the Degree Certificate is not based in Kenya, a certified copy of the certificate must be submitted which must be authenticated and or equated by the Commission for University Education. Degree Certificates issued by Kenyan Institutions shall be certified by the issuing institution.

• A copy of a National Identity Card/valid Passport (the document used by the candidate to register as a voter)
• A Passport size photograph with white background submitted in hard and soft copy.
• If a Party Candidate, a Nomination Certificate from a fully registered Political Party nominating the candidate, duly dated and signed by an authorized official of the party
• A duly signed and dated Code of Conduct (Second Schedule of the Elections Act, 2011)
• A duly filled Commission Nomination Form, including:
• An original Statutory Declaration Form for purposes of nomination (Regulation 18(3) Elections (General) Regulations, 2012 and an original Self-Declaration Form (Regulation 46 of Elections (General) Regulations, 2012)
• For Political Party Candidates and Independent Candidates, an electronic version and the duly filled list of at least 2000 supporters from each of the majority of the counties in the prescribed form, submitted to the Commission
• Be accompanied by copies of the identity cards of the supporters

Nomination fees in a Banker’s Cheque payable to IEBC:

•  Ksh. 200,000 for candidates

• Ksh. 100,000 for a candidate who is a youth, a woman or a person with a disability.

For an Independent Candidate:

• A Clearance Certificate from the Registrar of Political Parties certifying that the person was not a member of any political party for the last 3 months before the elections; that is as at 7th May, 2017 (Regulation 15(a) (General) Regulations, 2012
• An electronic version and the duly filled list of at least 2000 supporters from each of the majority of the counties in the prescribed form, submitted to the Commission.
• Be accompanied by copies of the identity cards of the supporters.
• A duly filled Form of Intention to Contest, prescribed by the Commission.
• A symbol the candidate intends to use during the election, which has been approved by the Commission 21 days before Nomination day.
• Establish and maintain a functioning office in the respective electoral area where the candidate is contesting, which must be available for inspection by the Commission at least 45 days before the elections. The address, including the physical address of the office must be communicated to the Commission.