The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party says that it will not open investigations into the degree queries raised against Nairobi Senator, Johnson Sakaja, who is the party's gubernatorial candidate for the capital's seat.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV on Tuesday, June 14, the party's Secretary General, Veronica Maina, stated that the party was waiting for investigative agencies and Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to make a determination on the matter before forging a way forward.
However, she insisted that Sakaja presented his academic papers to the party before being cleared.
"If you see us clear someone at that level, we may not have doubts, but if we put it to other applicants to make an application and we have serious doubts about their credentials, then we have to do our own background checks.
"Because the Sakaja matter is being decided, it is not fair for the party's disputes committee to sit, let the institutions do their bit," Maina explained.
She stated that the authenticity of the Senators' academic papers was not questioned as no one lodged a complaint with their disputes tribunal.
The SG explained that the party would have dealt with the matter during the party primaries if the concerns had been raised.
"On the face value, we must say that you have qualified and we must see that you have presented a degree certificate.
"Once you present that degree certificate, if we have any doubts as to that qualification then we follow and do a check with the Commission of University Education (CUE) or the institution itself," she stated.
While appearing before IEBC's dispute tribunal on June 13, Sakaja maintained that his degree was legitimate, further, asking the Commission to throw out the petition as his name was misspelled by the petitioners.
“My qualifications and academic credentials are not in doubt having been affirmed through a lawful process. The complaints herein are legally incompetent, defective having been lodged outside the prescribed statutory timeliness,” he stated.
The disputes committee is set to continue with hearings of the matter today and make a determination on Sakaja's eligibility to contest in the August 9 polls in the course of the week.
