Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has set Tuesday, October 17, 2017, for the repeat of its presidential election which was annulled by the Supreme Court.
Wafula Chebukati, the chairman of the electoral agency, announced the date in a statement issued on Monday.
Mr. Chebukati said there will be no fresh nomination of candidates for the rerun election.
Only incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta and the National Super Alliance (NASA) presidential flag bearer, Raila Odinga, will be on the ballot along with their respective running mates.
Deputy President William Samoei arap Ruto is the incumbent’s running mate while Kalonzo Musyoka is running alongside Mr. Odinga.
“The commission is revising the operational and procedural requirements for the conduct of the fresh election and will share details with stakeholders sooner rather than later,” the chairman of the electoral agency said.
On Friday, September 1, the Supreme Court annulled Uhuru Kenyatta’s victory in an earth-shattering ruling.
The Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice David Maraga, immediately declared that a repeat of the presidential poll must be conducted within 60 days from the day of the verdict.
“A decision is hereby issued that the elections held on August 8, 2017, were not conducted in accordance with the constitution and the applicable law. The results are therefore invalid, null and void,” Justice Maraga said in his ruling.
The groundbreaking ruling came after the opposition candidate, Mr. Odinga, successfully petitioned the court to annul the results of the August 8 vote, arguing that the vote was rigged.