Malava by-election: Candidate questions lengthy campaign period as party revokes nomination

A candidate for the Malava parliamentary by-election, Wilberforce Tuvei, has questioned the unusually long campaign period announced by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission ahead of the November 27 vote.

Tuvei, who is vying for the seat left vacant following the death of Malulu Injendi, said the 51-day period was suspicious and could be designed to drain candidates financially and mentally.

“Could it be that the government, through the electoral commission, is planning to wear out candidates before the ballot?” Tuvei posed.

According to the IEBC timetable, the official campaign period began on October 8 and will run until midnight on November 24.

Tuvei made the remarks while addressing supporters at his residence in Mting’ong’o village, Chimuche on Wednesday.

He added that the 24 upcoming by-elections was a litmus test for the IEBC, saying the commission’s conduct will determine whether Kenyans retain or lose confidence in its operations.

Separately, the Roots Party of Kenya has revoked the nomination certificate issued to Caleb Sunguti, citing violation of party principles.

In a letter dated October 8 and signed by the party’s secretary general Cecil Miller, the party accused Sunguti of breaching the party constitution.

“In view of this and in accordance with Article 27 of the party constitution, the party has resolved to revoke his nomination certificate with immediate effect,” Miller stated.

However, Sunguti dismissed the claims, saying he had voluntarily withdrawn from the race due to lack of party support.

“I did not see the capital I was going to make after the party failed to associate with me as their candidate. When you ask for support—even just T-shirts—you are told they didn’t plan for it,” Sunguti said.

He added that his Abatobo clan had also persuaded him to drop his bid to avoid splitting votes meant for DAP-K candidate Seth Panyako, who hails from the same clan.

“I was in the race for fear that Panyako might be blocked from running. Now that he has been cleared, the clan asked me to step aside and support him,” Sunguti said, adding that other clans were also consolidating around their own candidates.

He cited the example of Leonard Shimaka, who is backing David Ndakwa of the UDA party due to clan ties.

The Malava by-election was triggered by the death of area MP Moses Malulu Injendi, creating a vacancy in Parliament.

As required by law, the Speaker of the National Assembly notified the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), which must conduct a by-election within 90 days.

Political parties have since nominated candidates, with figures like Seth Panyako cleared to contest.

The poll has drawn national attention as parties test their strength in the constituency ahead of the 2027 General Election.