Former Kilome legislator Harun Mwau’s move to challenge re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta after losing another petition to have the electoral commission blocked from conducting last month’s repeat polls repeat bears all the hallmarks of political intrigues.
It is suspected that at the center of numerous court battles by Mwau to discredit and invalidate Uhuru’s win is a supposed Jubilee Party supporter and financier and close ally to the petitioner in terms of business.
The flamboyant tycoon associated with clearing and forwarding franchise and said to be a silent business partner to Mwau, is a remarkable figure in the corridors of power.
Mwau claims that the electoral commission and its chairman Wafula Chebukati failed to conduct the fresh election in accordance with the Constitution and electoral laws as directed by the Supreme Court, hence, acted in contempt of court.
He argues that failure by the IEBC to publish the nomination day in the gazette notice announcing the repeat poll was “unconstitutional, illegal, invalid, irregular and in violation of Articles in the Elections Act.”
According to the former MP, in conducting a fresh election, the IEBC should have called for fresh application and submission of documents by all candidates seeking to vie and collecting the prerequisite mandatory presidential candidate’s nomination fee of Sh200, 000.
Mwau further argues it was “discriminative, unfair, not transparent and contrary to the Constitution” for the IEBC to hold an election while two candidates – President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga – had campaigned for a longer period than the other five candidates who were allowed to vie 13 days prior to the October 26 election day.
On October 16, filed a petition urging the High Court to quash a gazette notice of September 5 on the fresh presidential election.