On Monday, the Nation learnt that former Mandera Central MP Abdikadir Mohammed, his Garsen counterpart Danson Mungatana and ex-Siakago lawmaker and Jubilee official Justin Muturi are among those eyeing the high profile job.
Mr Mohammed, one of the highly-respected members of the 10th Parliament, played a critical role in overseeing implementation of the Constitution, as chairman of the House’s Constitution Implementation Oversight Committee.
He resigned from active politics after serving one term.
On Monday, a Jubilee insider said Mr Mohammed was a front-runner for the seat. He was a founder of Mr Musalia Mudavadi’s UDF party but later decamped to Jubilee.
Mr Mungatana, who served for two terms as Garsen MP, lost his bid for the Tana River County governor seat on a TNA ticket.
Mr Muturi, who has worked closely with Mr Kenyatta in Kanu and TNA, is a former magistrate and was the chairman of the Centre for Multiparty Democracy before his unsuccessful bid for the Siakago seat in the just-ended elections.
Sitting MPs do not qualify for the position. Should any of them be interested, he or she will have to resign from Parliament to contest the seat.
Outgoing Speaker Kenneth Marende had to resign from the Emuhaya seat which he had won on an ODM ticket.
Mr Marende has indicated that he would seek another term as the National Assembly Speaker. The race for the position begins as soon as the President issues notification for the first sitting of the new Parliament.
The presidential notice for convening of the National Assembly and the Senate is supposed to be sent out within 30 days after the General Election.
With the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission having officially released the list of all the nominees on Monday, the first sitting of the new Parliament, under the current Constitution, should be early next month.
