IEBC Disputes Withdrawal of DCP Candidate Edgar Busiega in Malava By-Election
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Returning Officer in Malava constituency has poured cold water on reports that Edgar Busiega – the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) candidate – has pulled out of the upcoming parliamentary by-election.
On Wednesday November the 5th, returning officer Salim Abdalla made a statement dismissing the claims that Busiega had withdrawn. His reason for doing so was that Busiega hadn’t followed the proper legal procedures, which means he’s still in the running. Abdalla explains that his office just hadn’t received a formal withdrawal notice from Busiega or the DCP party – a requirement under the law.
“With no official notice received, Busiega’s name will still be up on the ballot on the 27th of November,” Abdalla made it clear.
The news throws a spanner in the works of the by-election, coming just a few days after the DCP announced that Busiega was stepping down in favour of Democratic Action Party-Kenya (DAP-K) candidate Seth Panyako. This was part of a bigger opposition strategy to have one candidate standing for all.
Back on October 30, DAP-K confirmed that Busiega had agreed to back Panyako’s bid. “Wakili Edgar Busiega Mwanga, who was standing for the DCP in the Malava Constituency, has officially stepped down and thrown his weight behind DAP-K candidate Seth Panyako. We in the United Opposition now have just one candidate in this by-election,” their statement read.
DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa showed a fair bit of confidence in his party’s candidate saying “We’re going to put this out to the people of Malava today, and we are pretty sure that Seth Panyako is the one to beat. If someone does decide to go against the opposition’s agreement then the results will still be reflected on the 27th of November.”
According to the regulations in Kenya, a candidate only officially withdraws when the returning officer gets a written notice at least three days before the election day. This has to be signed and comes with the candidate’s ID or passport to prove who they are. The IEBC also needs to give official confirmation that it has been accepted.
The Malava parliamentary seat came up for grabs after the death of Moses Malulu Injendi in February after an illness that had been affecting him for a while.
A few candidates are looking likely to run for the seat, including UDA’s David Ndakwa who looks to be Seth Panyako’s main rival. Ndakwa is reported to be backed by ODM as part of a larger political deal. Others also in the running are Roots Party candidate Caleb Sunguti and Joab Manyasi from the Democratic National Alliance.
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IEBC Disputes Withdrawal of DCP Candidate Edgar Busiega in Malava By-Election