Seven candidates eyeing the Naivasha parliamentary seat have been locked out after failing to present their papers to the electoral body.
According to Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) constituency returning officer Agnes Muriuki, only 10 aspirants were cleared to vie for the seat in the August 9 elections.
She said only one independent candidate beat the deadline for submitting papers but lacked the required number of signatures to be cleared.
“We don’t know why the other six failed to submit their papers. Simply, they did not show up,” Ms Muriuki said.
Those who quit the race included Viwandani Ward Rep Eric Gichuki. He had failed to clinch the Jubilee ticket.
Among those who received the nod to contest the Naivasha parliamentary seat included the incumbent Jayne Kihara (UDA), her fiercest rival Ndegwa Nguthiru (Jubilee), Rebo Ngure (ODM) and John Kihagi, a former MP now vying as an independent.
The four are billed as front-runners and have been crisscrossing the vast constituency in search of votes.
At a recent requiem mass held for the nine people killed in a road accident, the four vowed to maintain peace ahead of the polls, with each adopting a different campaign strategy.
Mrs Kihara is going door to door as she hopes to outwit her political opponents after surviving UDA primaries.
She had lost to Mr Kihagi in the primaries but was allowed to defend her seat after a successful appeal against the outcome, citing irregularities.
With 145,616 voters, per the 2017 IEBC records, Naivasha is expected to provide swing votes for those eyeing the Nakuru County governorship and the senator and woman representative seats.
