On Monday, May 30, comedian turned politician Walter Mong’are become the first presidential candidate to be given green light by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to contest for the presidency in the upcoming August polls.
The IEBC presidential returning officer, Wafula Chebukati cleared Mong’are after meeting the stringent measures for those angling to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Among the conditions set out by the constitution is the requirement that one has to have a degree from a recognized university in Kenya.
Even though Mong’are was cleared after meeting all the conditions reports have emerged that he does not possess a valid degree certificate.
Speaking to the press on Monday, June 6 IEBC Chairman, Wafula Chebukati said that upon verification of Mong’are’s documents, it became apparent that he was not qualified to run for the presidency.
Chebukati noted that the new information was not available to him at the time he was clearing the comedian turned politician.
“Upon the emergence of some new information and verification, it became clear he lacked academic qualifications and so we had to revoke his clearance certificate,” he stated.
The IEBC chair revealed that the presidential hopeful was summoned to shed light on the legitimacy of his academic papers but he refused to appear before the commission.
“As the Returning Officer for the Presidential Election, upon discovery of new information on Walter Mong’are, as related to lack of academic qualifications, I invited him to appear before me today (Monday, June 6) at 2 pm to clarify the issue. However, he failed to honor my invitation.” Chebukati stated.
Reports indicate that Mong’are went to Kenyatta University where he natured his comedy skills but he didn’t graduate.
Earlier in the day, IEBC had declined to approve the Safina Party presidential aspirant Jimi Wanjigi on similar grounds.
Wanjigi had only presented academic transcripts from Daystar University as he is scheduled for graduation in December 2022.
