Safina party presidential flagbearer Jimi Wanjigi was on Monday, June 6, disqualified by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) from contesting the presidency over lack of a Bachelor’s degree.
It is a requirement that any person seeking the presidency must be a holder of at least an undergraduate degree from a recognized university.
IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati said Wanjigi brought academic transcripts, and as per a letter from his university, Daystar, Wanjigi is scheduled to graduate in December 2022.
Wanjigi is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in International Relations and Security Studies.
Chebukati, who reviewed Wanjigi’s documents at the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi on Monday, also stated that the aspirant lacked the required signatures.
It is a requirement for anyone running for the presidency to obtain 48,000 signatures from registered voters in at least 24 counties. The signatures and copies of national identity cards of the voters demonstrate that they have endorsed the presidential candidate.
Wanjigi protested his disqualification, accusing the IEBC of attempting to narrow the presidential candidate field to a few “favorites” of the commission
