High Court Overturns IEBC’s Decision to Bar Moses Kuria’s Candidate

The High Court has ordered Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to conduct Kiagu by-election in Meru County and include Moses Kuria's Chama Cha Kazi candidate Milton Mwenda.

High Court Overturns IEBC’s Decision to Bar Moses Kuria’s Candidate

The court ruling was made on Thursday, October 21.

IEBC had disqualified Mwenda from participating in the polls following a petition filed by United Democratic Alliance’s (UDA) South Imenti Coordinator Salesio Mutuma Thuranira.

As a result, the commission went on to announce that due to the extension, it would not conduct the by-election that was scheduled for October 14, 2021.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, CCK party leader Moses Kuria moved to court to stop the by-election.

IEBC announced on Friday, October 8, 2021, that it was forced to slate the Kiagu ward by-election at a later date awaiting a court decision on a case filed by Mwenda of Moses Kuria's Chama Cha Kazi and National Empowerment Union party candidate, Nathan Gitonga.

Mwendwa and Gitonga moved to Nairobi's High Court after the electoral body disqualified them from the mini-polls.

In an earlier press release posted on their social media accounts, IEBC through its chair, Wafula Chebukati, stated that its Leadership and Integrity Vetting Committee reached the decision following the duo's contravention of election laws.

The seat fell vacant following the demise of death Eunice Karegi in May this year.