Wajackoyah: I'm a Permanent Resident of the UK and the US

Roots Party presidential candidate George Wajackoyah has continued to defend his citizenship status, insisting that he is not a British citizen.

Speaking on Monday during the National Election Conference organized by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) at KICC, Wajackoyah said he lived in the UK and the US as a political refugee for many years but he never renounced his Kenyan citizenship.

But the 62-year-old presidential contender admitted he is a permanent resident of both the UK and the US.

“I am a permanent resident of the United Kingdom as well as the United States of America; I am not a British citizen, I wish I was,” Wajackoyah said.

Last week, former presidential aspirant Peter Gichira wrote to the British High Commission in Nairobi seeking clarification over the exact status of Wajackoyah’s nationality.

Through his lawyer Gachie Mwanza, Gichira noted that Wajackoyah openly indicated that he had at one time expressed interest in a parliamentary seat in the UK, and wanted to know whether he is eligible to vie now that he has been cleared by IEBC to run for the presidency in the August 9th elections.

“It has come to the attention of our client through various sources that the said candidate at one time was a prospective candidate and vied for a seat for a member of parliament in the United Kingdom specifically Tottenham before he was disqualified through various media addresses,” the letter to the British embassy read.

He argues that one can only seek to be elected in the UK if he or she is a British citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, a citizen of a commonwealth country who does not require leave to enter or remain in the UK or has indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

“We do write on behalf of our client to get clear clarification and confirmation on whether the above-named candidate is still a registered British Citizen, and if so, has he ever renounced such citizenship rights thus making him eligible to vie for the tip seat in the Republic of Kenya,” adds the letter.