Whose Job Is It To Fact Check Those Running For Office?

With two years left to Kenya’s next general elections, we have already begun to see different candidates declaring their interest in the country’s top job. The constitution of Kenya outlines very clearly what the requirements are to be eligible to run for office. Despite these requirements being enshrined in the constitution and gazetted by the Independent Election and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), every election cycle, we see many people declare their interest for the top job but end up with only a handful of candidates being eligible and cleared to be on the ballot.

As candidates continue to declare their interest and announce their candidacies, we believe that it is high time that the media and the Kenyan public begin fact-checking the authenticity and eligibility of those declaring their interest. This fact-checking process is important in ensuring that those declaring their interest are actually eligible and meet the requirements to avoid individuals looking to gain popularity by stating they will run for office.

Two such examples come to mind. After the Gen Z liberation, one of the young leaders who emerged from that period is Morara Kebaso. A lawyer by profession, Morara Kebaso began his political career by going around the country providing civic education and highlighting stalled government projects. Through this, Morara Kebaso quickly gained popularity and went ahead to begin fundraising, began the process of registering the INJECT party, and even declared his interest in the presidency. But Morara Kebaso cannot be president, at least not in 2027, as he does not meet the constitutional requirement that mandates one must be at least 35 years of age to run for office, which Morara will not be. But despite this, Morara continues to get airtime and platforms.

When such things happen, they distract Kenyans and only serve the political class because once again, Kenyans are left with the same old people to choose from. In a shocking turn of events, an unexpected entrant into the 2027 Presidential elections has emerged. Activist Boniface Mwangi has in August of 2025 declared his interest in running for president in August 2027. Boniface Mwangi has, over the years, been on the right side of history in defending the rights of Kenyans at the expense of his own safety. It will be interesting to see whether Kenyans will actually elect him as president.

Previously, Boniface Mwangi ran for Starehe member of Parliament in 2017 but was unsuccessful in his bid, losing to musician Charles Kanyi, popularly known as Jaguar. After his 2017 campaign, Boniface Mwangi shared that despite fundraising, spending his own money, and having his track record as a human rights activist, the electorate still decided to choose someone else. It will be interesting to see whether Boniface Mwangi will be cleared to run for office and how many people vote for him. While it would be great to see a change for Kenya, especially in its leadership. It is important to highlight that Boniface Mwangi has previously shared on numerous media interviews that he does not have a bachelor’s degree, which is a requirement to be president. So, as time passes, we hope to see the media and Kenyans fact-checking the different candidates who declare their interest to ensure that we do not end up with clout chasers and Trojan horses running for us who will never make it to the ballot. Real change happens at the ballot; nothing else matters. If Boniface Mwangi has a degree, let him be cleared to run, but if he doesn’t, let him chill.