Tuesday, February 22, 2022

The UNSA Election season is here!

On February 17, 2022, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) officially announced that elections for the various Faculty and Campus Students associations will take place virtually on Friday, March 25, 2022. The Commission also released timelines for the recruitment of Returning Officers and Assistant Returning Officers (find the attached election timelines here).

Further, the IEC announced the use of the amended UNSA Constitution (Click here to download and familiarize yourself with it). The Commission endeavours to ensure that all registered students participate in the voting process.

In order to guarantee a smooth and seamless electioneering process, the Commission will facilitate a voter education and sensitization exercise. This will cover the UNSA constitution (as amended) and also address the frequently asked questions. Please find examples of these questions below: 

Who is a qualified voter?

a) All students shall exercise their right to vote as specified in Section 41 of the Universities Act of 2012 (amended).

b) A student shall exercise the right to vote if he or she is registered in the Register of Voters found in the Electronic Voting System.

 

What does it take for a student to be nominated as a member of an aspiring team for an election?

A student may be nominated as a member of an aspiring team for an election under these regulations only if that student:-

a) Is a duly registered student of the University.

b) Satisfies the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010

c) Is able and willing to affirm and subscribe to leadership and integrity requirements and the University Regulations

d) Has no pending supplementary examinations in the entire academic record for the current study program, or is not repeating the year on academic grounds.

e) Has a verified academic status confirmed by the academic Dean.

f) Has been in session for the preceding two semesters, and is available to serve for the entire term of the office.

 g) Acquires a valid certificate of good conduct from the National Police Service, in addition to meeting other administrative requirements of the University.

Who constitutes a Faculty/Campus Students Association? 

The Association shall consist of:

(a) A Chairperson;

(b) A Vice-Chairperson who shall be of opposite gender from the Chairperson;

(c) A Secretary-General who shall be the Secretary to the Faculty/Campus Association;

(d) a Treasurer;

(e) Three other members to represent people with disability, interests of international students and sports and social welfare, as the case may be from time to time.

The Commission commits to actively engage the students using different platforms as it continues to roll out voter education and sensitization.

For any inquiries, please send an email to unsa2022elections@uonbi.ac.ke or tweet: @CouncilUnsa