By L, KNA
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Tuesday held a high-level meeting with candidates contesting the Magarini parliamentary by-election to harmonize campaign schedules and promote peaceful, issue-based engagements with electorate.
The meeting that was convened at the IEBC Magarini offices brought together most aspirants, with a few represented by party agents.
The by-election’s Deputy Returning Officer, Nuru Maftah, said the harmonisation exercise aimed to prevent violence and ensure a smooth campaign period.
She urged the candidates and their supporters to uphold self-restraint, peace, unity, and accountability before, during and after the November 27, 2025 mini poll.
“We have agreed on a harmonised campaign schedule so that candidates do not collide in the field and cause unnecessary tensions,” she told journalists after the meeting.
Maftah emphasized that all candidates are bound by the Constitution, electoral laws, and the Electoral Code of Conduct, which they signed voluntarily.
“Any candidate found in breach of the code will be held personally accountable,” she warned, urging aspirants to avoid inflammatory rhetoric and instead focus on unifying messages that encourage voter turnout.
Furaha Chengo Ngumbao, a candidate in the race, welcomed the IEBC’s efforts to lay a level ground for candidates and called on fellow contestants to avoid tribal politics.
“Magarini people, irrespective of their tribal inclinations, are still Magarini residents,” he stressed.
Ngumbao, of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) also noted that the meeting reviewed the causes of the previous election’s nullification and sought to prevent a recurrence.
“The last election was annulled due to irregularities. We must ensure this one is credible and transparent,” he added.
The Magarini seat fell vacant following the nullification of Mr. Harrsion Garama Kombe’s election victory over electoral malpractices.
Last week, the IEBC cleared ten candidates to vie for the seat. They include Mr. Kombe (ODM) and the petitioner, Mr. Stanley Karisa Kenga, who recently defected from the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) to the Democracy for the Citizen’s Party (DCP) after being forced to step down for Kombe to honour a broad-based government agreement between Kenya Kwanza and the ODM party.
Other candidates in the race are 25-year-old Amos Katana (Independent), Sarah Wahito Gakahu (Kenya Moja Movement), Samuel Nzai (Wiper), Emmanuel Kalama (We Alliance Party), Rev. John Sulubu (Kenya Social Congress), Hamadi Chadi (Roots) and Jacob Themo Kwicha (Federal Party of Kenya).
