by Christine Lagat, Chris Mgidu and David Musyoka
NAIROBI, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan electoral body on Sunday cleared leader of opposition National Super Alliance (NASA), Raila Odinga, to run for presidency during the Aug. 8 general election.
Odinga and his running mate, Kalonzo Musyoka met the threshold set by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to run for presidency.
"Having reviewed the documents presented before me and his running mate, they have met the qualifications to vie for the elections," IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati said.
Hundreds of NASA supporters stood along the streets of Nairobi to cheer Odinga and team on as they made their way from a church service in central Nairobi to the venue.
This will be Odinga's fourth attempt at presidency.
Odinga is the second candidate to get green light from the electoral commission after Third Way Alliance's candidate Ekuru Aukot.
Speaking after getting the nod to run for the highest office in the land, Odinga pledged to conduct a peaceful campaign as he makes his fourth stab at the presidency.
"Today marks the beginning of a journey to propel this country to new heights of progress and prosperity. I appeal to my supporters to maintain peace and decorum as we intensify our campaign for votes in all parts of the country," Odinga said.
He was accompanied by NASA Co-Principals during presentation of nomination certificates whose approval by the election bosses paved way for him to vie for presidency.
"This is a very defining moment and I am very happy to be here. This is a very important occasion, with me I have my running mate and NASA pentagon team plus my wife Ida," he said.
Odinga will seek to unseat President Uhuru Kenyatta, leader of the Jubilee party, who is seeking a second term. He said he was happy and ready to kick off his campaigns after getting the certificate.
Political analysts have predicted Odinga will present serious challenge to the incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta during the August polls.
Kenya's ex prime minister has already assembled a sophisticated team of professionals to manage his campaign.
According to Kakai Kissinger, a Nairobi-based commentator, Odinga has rebranded himself to improve the chances of clinching presidency.
"Unlike his previous attempts at the presidency, Raila Odinga now appears more prepared in terms of messaging and resource mobilization to ensure he wins the coveted seat," Kissinger said.
He added that Odinga's appeal in the regions that traditionally do not vote for the opposition has widened.
The opposition alliance on April 27 named Raila Odinga its presidential flag bearer after months of negotiations.
A technical team had earlier been tasked with coming up with name of a candidate who had the political skills and financial muscle to mount a formidable campaign for presidency.
The clearing of presidential candidates by the electoral commission paves way for political parties and candidates to hit the road canvassing for votes in the run up to August 8 polls.
Meanwhile, independent presidential aspirant Peter Solomon Gichira was arrested on Sunday and locked up in police custody after he allegedly tried to commit suicide by jumping off sixth floor of IEBC offices in Nairobi.
This was after the electoral body told him he would not be cleared to present his papers and run as an independent candidate for the presidential seat.
Gichira had arrived at the IEBC offices on Saturday afternoon to seek clarification on the list of those to be cleared when he received the news.
Witnesses said Gichira sought audience with the IEBC chairman and when he was informed to go to the secretariat offices he turned violent attacking secretaries there.
It was then that he pushed a window and tried to jump out before security guards grabbed him.
Nairobi police commander Japheth Koome said Gichira would be charged with causing disturbance, destruction of property and attempting to commit suicide.
"He broke a window and tried to jump down from the sixth floor of the building after he was informed he would not be cleared to present his papers for the presidency as an independent candidate. He would be in court on Monday," said Koome. He spent his night in police custody.
