The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Dispute Resolution Committee has cleared gubernatorial candidates John Sakaja (Nairobi), Wavinya Ndeti (Machakos), and Julius Malombe (Kitui) after petitions opposing their permission by the electoral body were thrown down.
The reprieve came after Polycarp Igathe (Nairobi) and Granton Samboja (Taita Taveta) were cleared on Friday.
Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, who is running for Mombasa gubernatorial seat on Wiper ticket, will find out his fate today.
He is contesting his denial on the grounds of impeachment, claiming that he has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court.
However, Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Kiambu Senate candidate Karung’o Thang’wa was dismissed by the tribunal yesterday, sealing his fate.
This comes after the IEBC Disputes Resolution Tribunal affirmed his denial.
The Tribunal confirmed his dismissal, ruling that he had been properly impeached by the Kiambu County Assembly and hence could not be cleared to hold public office.
Sakaja’s victory at the tribunal came after a series of charges about the authenticity of his degree from Team University in Uganda, which he claims to have obtained.
The three-member panel chastised a complainant who claimed Samboja’s degree, obtained from a Costa Rican university, was bogus, claiming he based his assertion on Wikipedia.
The panel decided that they couldn’t base its decision on suspicions or aspersions.
It stated that “the first respondent (Samboja) provided a foreign degree certificate verified by the Commission for University Education.”
The panel stated that investigating the legitimacy of academic publications was outside the scope of the IEBC’s authority
The complaint also wanted Samboja disqualified for allegedly violating ethics rules, which was also rejected.
The panel also turned down requests to hear claims from the 2017 election season, when Samboja was running for re-election.
