Nandi Hills Member of Parliament Alfred Keter has suffered a major setback in his quest to seek re-election and defend his seat via the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party ticket.
UDA’s Electoral and Nominations Dispute Resolution Committee nullified Keter’s win after his rival Bernard Kitur successfully appealed his case.
Keter had garnered 10,363 votes against Kitur’s 7,468 votes with Robert Chepkwony coming third with 2,539 votes.
However, Kitur protested the results with the Nominations Dispute Resolution Committee, citing ballot stuffing and other election malpractices.
The committee also heard that only four aspirants agreed to have the exercise continue even with the scarcity of ballot papers.
“We are satisfied that the allegations of ballot stuffing and delays in transmission have been proven, ” the committee stated.
“The same violates Articles 10,15(5), (6) of the Rules, Articles 29 and 30 of the Constitution; Rules 5,9,19,20 and other provisions of the party code of conduct, and contravenes sections 3, 10, 11 and 20 of the Election Offences Act.”
It was further disclosed that Keter’s win was nullified owing to regulations governing the signing of his provisional nomination certificates.
Keter signed the document at Kapsabet, rather than at the tallying centre in Samoei High School, Nandi Hills.
“We have considered the various submissions made by parties and the evidence before us. We are convinced beyond doubt that the allegations substantially affected the results and impeached the integrity of the outcome, ” the committee stated.
Keter’s win was marred with controversy as the party delayed awarding him his certificate on the nomination day.
Minutes before the winner was announced, Keter and his supporters stormed the constituency tallying centre with songs and dances.
The constituency returning officer Dismas Kipkoech then released the final results and declared Keter the UDA candidate in the Nandi Hills parliamentary race.
But the county returning officer, Veronica Kiberenge, announced that the interim certificate was not ready and asked Keter to wait until the following day.
Polls: Raila leads Ruto in Nairobi, UDA Party More Popular in Murang’a
Major Blow To Alfred Keter As UDA Nullifies His Win
