THE South Mugirango byeIectio. n will be held in June, the Interim Independent Electoral Commission boss Ahmed Issack has said.

He said the commission will fast-track voter registration and ensure it is ready for the polls. "We shall make sure the voter registration exercise in South Mugirango is closed within a month after the national registration exercise is launched to give us time to prepare for the polls," said Issack.

Besides South Mugirango, the commission has to deal with 22 vacant civic seats. "We are not going to hold the by-elections for the civic seats because they fall in several other constituencies, they will wait for the national voter registration exercise to be completed," he said.

Speaker Kenneth Marende, who on Friday declared the South Mugirango seat vacant, is expected to issue a writ to the IIEC before the election date can be announced. The issuance of writs, a legal procedure' that enables the electoral commission to call elections, will be issued by' March. But yesterday, key candidates in what is expected to be a big political battle were already beating political drums ready for the campaigns. It emerged former area MP Omingo Magara will now face former Uriri High school head teacher Ibrahim Ochoi for the ODM ticket.

"I have been promised by ODM that the nomination will be fair, I have therefore declared I will be in the race for the ODM ticket and I know I will go all the way to Parliament this time round," Ochoi said. On the other hand Magara, a key ally of Agriculture minister William Ruto, denied he was part of a group of factional leaders within the party.

"I'm the national treasurer of ODM and not a faction of the party," said Magara. At the same time ODM supporters have called for a fair nomination process to forestall a fall out in the part. Manson Nyamweya, the man who successfully put up the petition has declared he will be running on a Ford People" ticket.

Others in the race are former legislator David Kombo, Gucha South Knut treasurer Zebedeo Nyaboga, Mombasa- based scientist Ezekiel Okemwa, Kisii lawyer David Mogunde and Gusii Water" and Sanitation Board chairman Rose Obara.