In the last General Election, the presidential ballot paper was on verge of becoming the longest in country’s history. A total of 58 aspirants expressed interest in the big seat.

It, however, turned out to be the shortest after the electoral agency weeded out aspirants who failed to meet stringent rules that saw only four candidates – Dr William Ruto (UDA), Raila Odinga (Azimio la Umoja), David Mwaure (Agano Party) and Roots Party’s George Wajackoyah – cleared to run.

All the 40 independent aspirants and 14 out of 18 of those were sponsored by political parties, did not make it to the ballot; exiting the stage before catching voters’ attention.

Among them was Julliet Makhapila of Republican Liberty Party.

She was disqualified after failing to present coloured photocopies of the national identity cards (ID) of 52,000 people whose signatures she had presented to the commission as backers of her candidacy.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) required presidential candidates to present at least 48,000 signatures – 2,000 signatures from at least 24 counties.

 ID photocopies

But Ms Makhapila who is based in the United Kingdom, still believes she was unfairly barred from seeking people’s mandate to lead the country.

“It is impossible for a candidate to collect ID photocopies of over 48,000 people unless one is using government machineries,” she says.

Ms Makhapila who is a social scientist and poet, refused to supply the photocopies, insisting the requirement was illegal.

Later in July 2022, the High Court, through Justice Anthony Mrima, ruled that the requirement was not justified and infringes the Constitution.

The judge argued that once a person is registered as a voter, IEBC retains the voters’ particulars, including details of national ID or passport used in the registration and such details are sufficient to enable the commission ascertain the voter’s registration status.

She also blames IEBC for failing to disqualify the front runners; Dr Ruto and Mr Odinga claiming they started their campaigns before the period stipulated by the law.

“I was the only female presidential aspirant sponsored by a political party. Indeed, IEBC failed women by locking me out,” she says.

She also blames IEBC for failing to disqualify the front runners; Dr Ruto and Mr Odinga claiming they started their campaigns before the period stipulated by the law.

“I was the only female presidential aspirant sponsored by a political party. Indeed, IEBC failed women by locking me out,” she says.

That was not the first time Ms Makhapila tried her hand in elective politics. In 2010, she almost became a member of Islington London Borough Council in the UK, when she vied for Tollington Ward councillor seat.

Ms Makhapila failed to clinch the seat after she was defeated by one of her main challengers, Catherine West of the Labour and Co-Operative Party. Ms West is currently the Member of Parliament for Hornsey and Wood Green Constituency.

“I lost with a narrow margin, but I loved every minute of the experience. I advocated for better healthcare system, inclusion and diversity, improvement for the welfare of persons with disabilities, the elderly, youth, improved investment opportunities, street lighting, healthy meals in schools among other things,” she says.

She says the political bug started biting her after she shook the hand of the late President Daniel arap Moi when the former Head of State visited her Kilimo Primary School in Njoro, Nakuru County.

Greener pastures

According to her, she wanted to pump a new blood in the veins of Kenyan politics, which she says swing around ethnicity and handouts.

“Kenya just like the rest of Africa, is blessed with everything beautiful but suffers from poor governance. Everyone wants to run out of Kenya for greener pastures in the West. This clearly points to bad leadership,” she says.

“I wanted to become the president because l believe Kenyans should be among the most comfortable people around the world. Why should millions of Kenyans suffer from hunger yet they have been electing leaders after every five years? What are those leaders doing; enriching themselves?”

Ms Makhapila also questions why Kenyan politicians and their families seek treatment abroad yet they are part of the failing health system back at home.

“We elect non-patriotic leaders. They cannot tell me that they are patriotic while millions sleep hungry daily due to lack of food. They cannot tell me they love the people yet thousands die yearly because of lack of basic drugs in hospitals and poor services. Billions of money for drugs end up in a few individuals’ pockets,” she says.

“Why are politicians super rich, yet millions are languishing in poverty? Where do they get the money? Anyone who wants to become a president in Kenya must be rich. When those rich people are elected they spend the five years trying to recover the money they used in campaigns instead of serving the people. I don’t believe that for one to become the president of Kenya, they need billions in their accounts. This needs to change.”

Ms Makhapila who moved to the UK early 1990s immediately after clearing her secondary school to study business management, says during her short quest for presidency, she encountered the ugly side of Kenyan politics.

Ethnicity

“I realised that the issue of tribalism and handouts is too engrossed into Kenyan politics. My father comes from Bungoma, my mum is from Kiambu, and my family lives in Njoro in Rift Valley. So, what is my tribe? We don’t need to cling on tribalism to win seats. Politicians should compete on the basis of issues and not ethnicity,” she says.

“I witnessed voters lining up to receive money from politicians after rallies. In the UK, once a candidate is cleared to vie, they are not allowed to even buy food for their close supporters. But in Kenya, bribery is normal even on voting day.”

On the gender rule, Ms Makhapila says women should go for 50 per cent of positions in Parliament and other public offices and not a third.

“I was a Girl Guide so, was among the pupils selected to receive the president. After shaking the hand of Moi, I did not wash my hands for three days – I was eating with a spoon. My dream of becoming like Moi started there,” she says.

Source: Nation