Sakaja given till noon to respond to degree queries
United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Nairobi gubernatorial candidate Johnson Sakaja has been given till noon today to file evidence in all four petitions aiming to withdraw him from the city’s governor race.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Dispute Resolution Committee, chaired by Titus Tiego, allowed Sakaja’s lawyer, Adrian Kamotho, a request for additional time to answer the petitions.
“I urge this tribunal to give me more time to file a formal application seeking to have one of three members of the IEBC tribunal recuse himself and also to answer the allegations filed against Sakaja,” Kamotho pleaded.
Four petitions have been filed against the senator, requesting that his clearance be revoked for a variety of reasons, including a lack of educational requirements.
The tribunal has also issued an order merging all four petitions and asked the returning officer and complainants to file their responses by tomorrow’s close of business.
Sakaja’s credentials have been questioned by several parties, including the University of Nairobi.
The debate about Sakaja’s academic qualifications has taken a new turn, with inconsistencies emerging in what the politician has previously asserted about the university he attended for his undergraduate degree.
A person “nominated as a candidate for election as president, deputy president, county governor, or deputy county governor must be a holder of a degree from a university recognized in Kenya,” according to the Elections Act.
However, on June 6, only one day before presenting his papers to the IEBC, the Senator applied to CUE, requesting that the commission investigate the accreditation status of Team University in Uganda, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Management.
