Former Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar has requested the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati to release copies of Governor Ali Hassan Joho's degree certificates to aid his petition challenging the Governor's victory in the August 8 election.
In an application filed before Mombasa High Court's Justice Lydia Achode, Omar's lawyer Yusuf Abubakar states: "We request a copy of degree certificates used by IEBC as academic qualification by the third respondent to contest the Mombasa gubernatorial election.”
Omar took part in the Mombasa gubernatorial race on a Wiper ticket and came in third with slightly under 44,000 votes.
He trailed Orange Democratic Movement's Joho who garnered over 220,000 and Jubilee's Suleiman Shahbal who had 69, 000 votes.
Along with his running mate Linda Shuma, the former Senator filed a petition against the electoral body and Mombasa Returning Officer Nancy Wanjiku whom he accuses of failing to conduct the polls in accordance with the law.
Apart from polling station diaries, forms 37A and Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (KIEMS) data, Omar wants the court to order the scrutiny and recount of votes in all of the county's 934 polling stations.
He has also applied to have the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) release statements from all those charged with electoral offences in Mombasa.
Justice Achode, however, stated on Thursday that she would first rule on an application filed by Governor Joho seeking to throw out Omar's petition.
Joho's lawyer, Paul Nyabuthi announced that he will be making a submission on why the petition should be dismissed.
The Governor has previously been under investigation over his academic credentials, but the institutions which awarded him the degrees have maintained that they are genuine.
The ODM Deputy Party leader has two degrees; one from Kampala University in Uganda and the other from Gretsa University in Thika.
