Former Nairobi governor, Mike Sonko, has responded to recent pronouncements by Director of Public Prosecutions, Noordin Haji, and Chief Justice, Martha Karambu Koome, over plans to block him from contesting for the Mombasa gubernatorial seat.
Speaking on Saturday, May 21, Sonko accused the two of making clear their stance on his case yet it was still pending in court.
He accused Haji of incessantly issuing threats against his gubernatorial bid, noting that the DPP has no right to convict him in public.
The former county boss insisted that he has enough proof to defend his eligibility to run for an elective seat.
"Haji has no right at all to convict me before a verdict is issued by the court. I have been silent for long but the DPP has incessantly used the media to threaten me," Sonko stated.
At the same time, Sonko called out CJ Koome over what he termed as doublespeak after she made it clear that impeached governors are not illegally allowed to contest for public office.
Sonko, who served as Nairobi Senator before becoming the governor, claimed that it was imprudent for the Chief Justice to issue her opinion on the matter yet in her Supreme Court ruling on BBI, the head of the Judiciary took issue with some lawyers for taking to social media to comment on the case when it was still pending judgment.
"It was imprudent for CJ Koome to give her opinion on a matter that is still pending judgment. All Judges look up to the CJ as their head and it is, therefore, improper for her to comment on cases that are still active in court. I would love to refer her to the judgment she made on the BBI case, where she took issue with some lawyers for taking to social media to comment on the case when it was still pending judgment," Sonko explained.
CJ Koome, while appearing on Spice FM on Friday, May 20, maintained that convicted and impeached political leaders will not be allowed to vie during the upcoming polls unless a court reverses such impeachments.
"You remain impeached until that impeachment is lifted. When you are sentenced, you are sentenced until the sentence is set aside," she explained.
Sonko raised the concerns against Koome's stand after Eldoret High Court Judge, Reuben Nyakundi, referred a petition seeking interpretation of whether impeached governors can run for public office to CJ Koome for judicial direction.
A number of petitions have been lodged seeking to block Sonko from making a political comeback in Mombasa. But the former Makadara MP alluded to President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto's cases at International Criminal Court (ICC), noting that they were allowed to contest despite pending court cases.
