Ekuru Aukot Locked Out of Presidential Contest, Vows to Challenge Raila’s Candidature

Ekuru Aukot, presidential candidate for the Thirdway Alliance, has been eliminated from the election after failing to produce supporters’ signatures.

Aukot also failed to give ID copies of his supporters, said Wafula Chebukati, chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Aukot was unable to submit the signatures and copies of national identity cards of 48,000 registered voters who backed his presidential campaign.

Independent Presidential candidate George Munyottah suffered the same fate after failing to present the required number of supporters’ IDs and signatures.

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Aukot objected to the demand, claiming that the IEBC’s request for supporters’ signatures and copies of IDs from contestants was unrealistic.

He added that he contested for the same seat in the 2017 General Election and that he was not asked to provide any signatures or identification cards confirming Kenyans’ support during the vetting process.

“No Kenyan is willing to give you his ID card to photocopy, let us be realistic.

“I’m even wondering where the cleared candidates got the photocopied ID cards of Kenyans from,” he said.

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He stated that he did not submit the signatures on purpose.

“People want to be bribed so that they can give you their ID cards to photocopy,” he added.

He stated that he will take the necessity for identification and signatures to court.

He also threatened to challenge Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance coalition party flagbearer Raila Odinga’s candidature.

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“Odinga has been sponsored by the State, hence the use of government resources in financing his bid,” he said.

He stated he will submit the petition in the High Court on Monday.

This is not the first time Aukot has attempted to thwart Raila’s political ambitions.

He attempted to have Raila disqualified from the presidential contest in April of this year, claiming that he was still a government employee.

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Aukot together with his Thirdway Alliance chairman, Miruru Waweru, stated in a joint appeal that Raila is a career public servant who cannot retire to seek elective positions like other public servants.

They alleged that in 2015, Parliament enacted the Retirement Benefits (Deputy President and Designated State Officers) Act which created specific public offices obligating the entitled persons to serve as public officers.