IEBC Responds to Questions on the Legitimacy of Raila’s Degree

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has responded to questions about the legitimacy of the Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya coalition party presidential candidate Raila Odinga’s degree.

On Wednesday, IEBC CEO Marjan Hussein said the presidential returning officer Wafula Chebukati, who also chairs the electoral commission, did due diligence on Odinga’s academic qualifications before clearing him to vie for the presidency.

“By the time he was clearing him (Odinga), he had certified himself that the candidate met all the legal requirements. To that extent I would say that Hon Raila Odinga actually met the requirements,” Marjan said during an interview on NTV.

Marjan spoke a day after United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party called for a scrutiny of the academic credentials of Odinga, who is giving his fifth try at the presidency.

UDA secretary-general Veronica Maina said there was a need to look into the authenticity of the academic credentials of Odinga and other presidential candidates.

“You have seen a lot of headlines questioning the university that our biggest opponent Raila Amolo Odinga qualified from. It is a very big question which needs to be looked at, not through the lens of just one candidate, but a wider public question,” Maina said on Citizen TV's Day Break program on Tuesday.

She also questioned Roots Party Presidential candidate Prof. George Wajackoyah’s alleged 17 degrees, saying they should be double-checked to ascertain whether they are genuine.

“The institutions that trained him should tell us whether he actually has 14 degrees or 7, and how many are recognized or not. It is a bigger question of what qualifications should a politician have before they assume a public office, and it has been a subject of litigation,” she added.