Three More Voters Seek Disqualification of Senator Sakaja from Nairobi Governor Race

Three more voters have filed petitions seeking to have Senator Johnson Sakaja disqualified from the Nairobi gubernatorial race.

David Gitau, Antony Macharia Munene, and Timothy Charo Odhiambo want the High Court to uphold the decision by the Commission for University Education (CUE) revoking the recognition of Sakaja’s Bachelor of Science in Management (external) degree from Team University in Uganda.

The petitioners argue that the senator is ineligible to vie for the Nairobi governor’s post in the August 9th elections on the grounds of lack of requisite academic qualifications. They cite a CUE’s letter dated June 30th, 2022 addressed to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) indicating that the UDA party candidate has no valid university degree.

The petitioners have also sued the electoral commission for declining to disqualify Sakaja from the contest, arguing that the IEBC committed illegality by disregarding advice of the CUE.

“The IEBC in spite of new evidence regarding qualification of a candidate for the position of a governor abdicated its responsibility and declined to exercise its authority. The conduct and performance of the IEBC offends the spirit and letter of the Constitution,” said Macharia, one of the petitioners.

“The position taken by the IEBC that it cannot determine a dispute relating to the authenticity of a disputed Degree Certificate is an absolute abdication of its responsibility and a failure to act in discharge of a duty imposed under any written law.”

The consolidated petitions will be heard on July 12th, 2022 by Justice Hedwig Ong’undi.

The petitioners want the court to issue interim orders suspending the IEBC’s decision clearing Sakaja to vie for the governor’s position pending the determination of their cases.

They have further sought temporary orders barring IEBC from publishing in the Kenya Gazette details of Sakaja as a contestant for Governor of Nairobi as well as printing ballots for the position.