The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has issued an ultimatum to Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja to respond to four petitions against him by 12 pm on Monday, June 13.
The decision was issued by IEBC Dispute Resolution Committee chair Titus Tiego who granted Sakaja's lawyer, Adrian Kamotho's plea to be given more time in order to file the evidence. The Senator also wants one of the IEBC commissioners to step down from the hearing.
The four petitions filed against Sakaja sought to have Senator Sakaja's clearance by the IEBC revoked on grounds of questionable academic certificates.
“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,” the lawyer urged the tribunal.
The four petitions were also consolidated into one as ordered by committee chair Tiego. Sakaja's case will be heard by the IEBC dispute resolution panel on Wednesday, June 15.
One of the petitioners, Dennis Gakuu Wahome, sought to have the Senator kicked out for failing to meet the constitutional requirements to have a degree.
He argued that the Senator had filed a form in 2017 alleging that he graduated from the University of Nairobi (UoN).
“The respondent has demonstrated fraud and forgeries that have the potential to erode the public confidence in and diminish the integrity of qualifications in Uganda and Kenyan degrees both regionally as well as globally,” Wahome stated in his petition.
The controversies surrounding Sakaja's degree have brought to light the academic certificates used by the IEBC to clear him.
UoN's Communications director, John Orindi, issued a clarification to the media, affirming that the Senator was yet to graduate.
"It is true Sakaja was admitted to the university and was pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science, studied from the first year up to the fourth year, but is yet to graduate."
"The university earlier issued a statement and was clear that the person in question did not complete his studies," Orindi stated.
Further, the Commission on University Education indicated that the Senator was cleared by IEBC using academic certificates from Team University in Uganda.
This has, however, raised more questions over the legitimacy of the Senator's degree certificates.
