Mike Sonko, who has known no rest since his impeachment from Nairobi’s governor seat, has yet again been met with another bombshell after the Mombasa county electoral body returning officer revoked his clearance certificate.
Sonko, who was competing for the position under the wiper ticket saw his candidacy annulled by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) due to the Supreme court’s decision which confirmed Nairobi’s impeachment.
“…you are therefore disqualified from holding any public office and thus disqualified from contesting and being elected as the governor of Mombasa or any other county. Your candidature is invalidated and your certificate revoked,” read the letter issued by IEBC to Sonko.
The Supreme Court’s seven judge-bench led by Chief Justice Martha Koome, found Sonko’s impeachment valid.
This meant his eligibility to contest for the Mombasa gubernatorial seat had been overruled in accordance with article 193(2) of the constitution which provided that if a person is found in accordance to any law to have misused or abused a state office or contravened chapter six of the constitution, then that person is disqualified from being elected as a member of the county assembly.
“The Court lacked jurisdiction to determine the appeal. However, in view of the public interest nature of the dispute, the need for due guidance to the judicial process and to the courts below and for the sake of posterity and development of jurisprudence the Court (the majority) has decided to settle all the pertinent questions the appeal raises, instead of downing tools on account of want of jurisdiction,” the document reads.
“There were four counts of impeachable charges against the appellant. The County Assembly, the Senate and the two superior courts below were convinced that the charges were proved to the standard required in such circumstances. No error for their analysis and conclusion has been presented.”