National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula was on Thursday prevented from casting a ballot in the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) elections due to the absence of his name from the voter register.
Shortly after his arrival, the Speaker approached LSK officials overseeing the process to inquire if it was an oversight.
LSK election board secretary Owiso Owiso clarified that as a State officer, Wetangula was exempt from certain professional requirements governing the legal entity.
The official noted that Wetangula lacked a valid practising certificate, to which the Speaker countered that State officers typically do not obtain such certificates unless they plan to return to active legal practice. This effectively excludes them from the voter roll under current regulations.
Wetangula questioned, “As Speaker of the National Assembly, I’m not in mainstream practice so it is pointless to obtain the practising certificate and you have informed us it’s not required, why am I not on the voter roll?”
In response, Owiso emphasized that the electoral body was merely enforcing regulations adopted by the society’s members.
“Unfortunately, members including yourself, passed a regulation requiring a practising certificate to vote, which excludes State officers. But it was the members who enacted this law, which we as the Board only implement,” he stated.
Other prominent figures including Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chair Erastus Ethekon, People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua, and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna participated in the significant elections.
In what is described as a closely contested race, the LSK polls feature three candidates: Senior Counsel Charles Kanjama, current LSK Vice President Mwaura Kabata, and senior lawyer Peter Wanyama, all vying to succeed incumbent Faith Odhiambo.