Qualifications for Members of National Assembly in Kenya

The qualifications for the position of a Member of the National Assembly in Kenya ensure that all interested candidates are suitable for the position.

There are two ways a person can become a member of the National Assembly in Kenya, through election or by nomination (from political parties).

This article deals with the qualifications for the members of the National Assembly who are elected to represent the Constituencies.

A Member of the National Assembly (MNA) is eligible for election for a five-year term and can be re-elected as many times as possible since there are no term limits for MPs in Kenya.

Qualifications For A Member Of the National Assembly

To qualify as a candidate for the position of a Member of the National Assembly in Kenya, you must:

• be a Kenyan citizen for at least 10 years before the election;
• not hold dual citizenship (unless, according to IEBC, the citizenship of the other country has been obtained by operation of law without the capacity to opt-out);
• not owe allegiance to a foreign state;
• be a registered voter;
• be nominated by a Political Party or is an independent candidate.
• meet the statutory moral and ethical requirements under the Leadership and Integrity Act;
• not be a public officer or acting in any State of public office other than a Member of Parliament;
• not be an undischarged bankrupt;
• not be a person of unsound mind;
• not be subject to a sentence of imprisonment of at least six months from the date of registration of candidates or date of elections;
• not have been found to have abused or misused state or public office or contravened Chapter Six of the Constitution; and
• not have been dismissed or removed from public office for contravening the provisions of Articles 75, 76, 77 and 78 of the Constitution

To qualify for the position of a Member of the National Assembly in Kenya, you must also be at least 18 years of age. There is no maximum age requirement.

A university degree from a university recognised in Kenya is also a requirement in 2022 general elections according to Section 22 of the Elections Act (unless the law is amended before then).

The Constitutional Petition 28 of 2021(External Link) has nullified the requirement for a university degree for members of Parliament (who include the members of the National Assembly). Section 22(1)(b)(i) of the Elections Act that mandated a university degree is thus declared unconstitutional. “It is inoperational, of no legal effect and void ab initio” (sic).

Requirements For The Position Of A Member Of the National Assembly

A party candidate or an independent candidate shall submit certain documents to IEBC during the nomination process. The party or independent candidate can also authorize an agent to do so on their behalf.

The candidate shall present a certified copy of a national identity card or a valid passport. Either shall be the document the candidate used to register as a voter. The candidate shall also submit a passport size photograph of themselves.

If the candidate was a public officer, he or she shall submit a letter of discharge from their employer. The letter shall confirm that he or she was not an employee six months before the election date. However, this requirement does not apply to any elected representatives.

For a party candidate, the candidate shall submit to IEBC a nomination certificate from a fully registered political party. The political party shall be the one nominating the candidate. An authorized official in the party shall duly sign the letter.

The party or independent candidate, or their authorized agent, shall submit a duly signed code of conduct. The Second Schedule of the Elections Act (2011) contains the electoral code of conduct.

See the Elections General regulation 2012(External Link) and the Elections General Amendment Regulations 2017(External Link) for updated information and requirements mentioned below.

Commission Nomination Form 15

The candidate or their authorized agent shall also submit a duly filled Commission Nomination Form 15. The form shall contain the following information:

• An original Statutory Declaration Form made no earlier than one month before the nomination day. This is in accordance with Regulation 18(3) of the Elections (General) Regulations, 2012.
• An original Self-Declaration Form as prescribed in the First Schedule of the Leadership and Integrity Act, 2012. The form is in accordance with Regulation 46 of the Elections (General) Regulations, 2012.
• the names of a proposer and a seconder who shall be registered voters. For a party candidate, the proposer and seconder must be members of the candidate’s party (Regulation 38(b) of the Elections (General) Regulations, 2012). In the case of an Independent Candidate, the proposer and seconder must not be members of any political party (Regulation 39(c) of the Elections (General) Regulations, 2012).

Additional requirements for Independent Candidates

Independent candidates must also meet some additional requirements to qualify to vie for the position of a member of the National Assembly in Kenya.

They shall get a clearance certificate from the Registrar of Political Parties. The certificate shall indicate that the person was not a member of any political party for the last three months before the election date. (Regulation 15(a) of the Elections (General) Regulations, 2012).

The independent candidates shall have a duly filled Form of Intention to Contest in the prescribed form. (Regulation 15(b) of the Elections (General) Regulations, 2012)

Every independent candidate must have a soft and a hard copy of a list of at least 1000 supporters in the prescribed form. They shall submit the list to the Constituency Returning Officer by a date IEBC prescribes.

A symbol the candidate intends to use during the election is also an additional requirement. IEBC shall approve the symbol in accordance with Section 32 of the Elections Act, 2011.

The independent candidates shall set up and maintain functioning offices within Kenya. Each of the offices must be available for IEBC to inspect by a certain date the Commission prescribes. The candidates shall communicate the address (including physical address) of the offices to the Commission. (Regulation 20(1) and (2) of the Elections (General) Regulations, 2012).

Nomination Fees For The Position Of A Member Of the national assembly

The nomination fees shall be in the form of a Banker’s Cheque payable to the IEBC. The fee is:

• KES 10,000 for a candidate who is a woman, a person with disability or youth. Youth means an adult below the age of 35 years.
• KES 20,000 for any other candidate.