IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati has appointed his deputy Consolata Nkatha as the deputy national returning officer for the October 26 election.
The appointment, which is a normal procedure before a general election, will be strictly for the scheduled repeat presidential poll.
“The appointment is for the purposes of the October 26 fresh presidential election exercise,” Chebukati said in a Tuesday gazette notice.
The appointment has been equally communicated in gazette notice 10563.
A clause in the Elections (Amendment) Bill which is awaiting President Uhuru Kenyatta’s assent gives power to a deputy national returning officer to declare a candidate as president-elect.
Currently, it’s only the national returning officer, who doubles up as the chairman of the electoral body, who has the power to make the declaration.
If Uhuru signs the Bill into law, it means Nkatha will be able to declare the winner of the October 26 repeat presidential election in the event that Chebukati is unable to do so.
The clause is among the contentious issues contained in NASA’s 12-point irreducible minimums it wanted to be addressed before agreeing to participate in Thursday’s polls.
Flag bearer Raila Odinga has said he will not participate in the election citing lack of reforms at the election agency that he deems to be necessary to guarantee a free and fair election.
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