Editor's Review

Governor Wa Iria warned that the election will fail to happen if he is locked out of the presidential contest.

A standoff ensued at the Bomas of Kenya on Sunday evening after Usawa Kwa Wote party leader Mwangi Wa Iria protested his removal from the presidential nomination registration schedule.

The schedule unveiled by the IEBC indicated when a presidential candidate will present their papers for clearance to their returning officer Wafula Chebukati.

According to the law, the IEBC chair is the returning officer of a presidential election.

Wa Iria who was filmed pouring out his anger for being excluded from the list accused some IEBC officials of colluding to lock him out.

He warned that the election will fail to happen if he is locked out of the presidential contest.

He argued that he had presented signatures of 2000 people from the 24 counties as required by the law but the IEBC has told him otherwise.

“Even people who failed to meet requirements are in the schedule but my name has been removed… Hakuna uchaguzi itafanyika if I will not contest (no election will be conducted if I will not) contest,” he threatened.

He alleged that his removal forms part of a wider scheme to rig the forthcoming polls in favour of candidates he did not mention.

“We cannot start rigging that far… They have deliberately removed my name today.”

The confrontation saw the IEBC chair convene a crisis meeting on Sunday evening to address the stalemate.

Wa Iria's Usawa Kwa Wote party at the same time called on its supporters across the country to convene at the Bomas of Kenya on Monday during which their presidential candidate will be meeting the IEBC chair.

The will later address the press.

"All H.E Mwangi Wa Iria Supporters and Usawa Party Aspirants are directed to be at Bomas of Kenya tomorrow at 0900Hrs to accompany him to meet IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati and later international press conference,” reads an alert sent out by the party.