Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko's dream of becoming the next Chief Executive of Mombasa County is still in doubt.
According to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Sonko’s bid could be an exercise in futility in case he exhausts appeal avenues for the impeachment case
In an interview on Citizen TV, IEBC Commissioner Prof. Abdi Guliye stated that the electoral agency may not clear him to contest should his appeal be determined by the Supreme Court.
Lower courts have upheld the Nairobi County Assembly’s and Senate’s decision to impeach the Governor over gross misconduct and misuse of office.
“If you have been found culpable by a competent court of law to have been impeached sufficiently for certain irregularities in the performance of your duty then if there are existing appeal mechanisms you are eligible to vie but if all those appeal avenues have been exhausted and the final verdict is uncontested then you shouldn’t run," stated Prof Guliye.
The IEBC commissioner added that the commission is yet to make a final decision on the clearance of candidates with pending court cases and integrity issues.
“This is a matter that is under discussion in fact we are having a meeting today to deliberate on that issue as a commission” the former Egerton University don added.
However, all is not lost for the controversial former Nairobi Governor who still has the Supreme Court as an existing appeal avenue.
Since his impeachment, he was lukewarm on whether he would make a political comeback indicating that he would take a break from politics
Sonko announced the decision to contest for the Mombasa Governor on a Wiper Party ticket on April 11 a move that has been received with mixed reactions.
In fact, Sonko's entry into the race has rattled the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) with the incumbent Governor Ali Hassan Joho daring him.
Joho, a close ally of ODM leader Raila Odinga, is backing Mvita Member of Parliament Abdulswamad Nassir to succeed him.
On April 25, two voters moved to court to block Sonko from contesting the Mombasa gubernatorial seat arguing that he had been disqualified from holding public office after his impeachment as Nairobi Governor by the Nairobi County Assembly.
Sonko was impeached by 88 members of the county assembly on December 3, 2020, when they voted to support the impeachment motion, a decision that was later upheld by the Senate, paving way for his exit from City Hall.
