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NAIROBI, Kenya, July 17 (Reuters) – The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) will decide whether or not to keep former Nairobi Gov. Mike Sonko’s authorization for the gubernatorial election in Mombasa until Tuesday, July 19.
Commission Chair Wafula Chebukati told the press on Saturday that the final decision would be taken after the polling firm read and interpreted the Supreme Court ruling upholding Sonko’s impeachment.
Chebukati said he has yet to hear questions raised by the Supreme Court while he maintains Sonko’s impeachment.
“As a team, we will look at the Supreme Court ruling and the issues raised, discuss and make a decision either Monday or Tuesday next week,” Chebukati said.
The commission cleared Sonko for the Mombasa governor’s race on Wednesday July 13, following a High Court decision directing the Electoral Commission to accept Sonko’s nomination and announce him as a candidate.
But Friday’s Supreme Court ruling brought a new twist after the seven-member bench found the former governor’s impeachment in 2022 was procedural and valid.
The bank cited Chapter Six of the Constitution on leadership and integrity, noting that it was not enacted for “cosmetic purposes.”
However, the former district head called the Supreme Court ruling a miscarriage of justice and accused the court of bias.
Sonko, who was not obligated to give up, also applied for a review of the matter in the same court as well as in the East African Court.
He said that while he respected the court’s decision, he disagreed with how the court acted in reaching the verdict.
“You violated my rights and that is why I requested a review. All I want is a fair hearing and due process so I can get justice,” Sonko said.
He also accused Chief Justice Martha Koome of being part of the judges’ chamber deciding his matter and said the CJ had already expressed her position publicly through the media.
In the media interview cited, CJ Koome took the view that impeached governors should not appeal until their impeachment is reversed.
“She shouldn’t have been part of the bench that decided my case because she already had the mental picture that Sonko shouldn’t be on the ballot,” Sonko said.
Sonko claimed he will remain in the running for Mombasa’s governorship as he has made another appeal to the East Africa Court of Justice, which he says is recognized by the constitution.
