Supreme Court Clears the Way for Swearing-in of Ann Kananu as Nairobi Governor

The Supreme Court has cleared the way for Nairobi deputy governor Ann Kananu to be sworn in as the governor.

This comes after the apex court struck out an appeal filed by former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko seeking to stop Kananu from being sworn in as governor.

A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the court “lacks jurisdiction to entertain the application.”

The judges stated that the application by Sonko was premature and with the absence of a judgment of the Court of Appeal, it does not meet the threshold of the Constitution.

Sonko wanted the highest court to bar the swearing-in of Kananu as Nairobi Governor pending the hearing and determination of his appeal.

Sonko moved to the Supreme Court after the Appeals Court last month upheld his removal from office in December 2020. The judges ruled that Sonko has been out of office for more than 10 months, and is effectively no longer the governor of Nairobi.

In June, the High Court dismissed two petitions filed by Sonko, who was challenging his impeachment as well as the nomination, vetting, and swearing-in of Kananu as Nairobi Deputy Governor.

The court ruled that the Nairobi County Assembly and the Senate followed the law in their removal of Sonko from office and that the swearing-in of Kananu as deputy governor was constitutional.