BY-ELECTIONS of Ugenya and Embakassi to be held on April 5th. IEBC has given political parties until January 21st to submit primaries names.
On December 21, 2018, the Supreme Court nullified the victories of MPs Christopher Karan (Ugenya) and Julius Mawathe (Embakasi South) in the August 8, 2017 general election on grounds that they were not validly elected.
Former Ugenya MP David Ochieng’ challenged the victory of Mr Karan while former Embakasi South MP Irshad Sumra petitioned against Mr Mawathe’s election.
Section 16 of the Elections Act provides that a vacancy in the office of an MP shall be deemed to occur on the date the Speaker of the relevant House issues a notice to the commission.
The Elections law further provides that the IEBC shall, within 90 days from the receipt of the notice, announce the date, make the necessary preparation and conduct the by- elections in strict compliance with the law and the constitution.
This means that the 90 days start counting from January 4, 2019, when Mr Muturi notified the commission.