United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate for Nairobi gubernatorial contest, Johnson Sakaja has received a huge reprieve after the High Court served him a greenlight to vie for Nairobi seat in the forthcoming August 9 election.
This is after Justice Antony Mrima on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, dismissed a petition lodged by Dennis Gakuu that challenged the validity of his degree.
“The court finds IEBC did not err in clearing Sakaja to vie for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat. The upshot, therefore, is that the petition is unsuccessful and is hereby dismissed with cost,” the judge ruled.
Petitioner Dennis Gakuru Wahome had lodged a case with High Court seeking to compel Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to bar senator Sakaja from participating in the August election.
Wahome through his lawyer Njoki Mboce had argued that senator Sakaja obtained the Bachelor of Science in Management (External) degree certificate from Team University, Uganda falsely.
Senator Johnson Sakaja
Sakaja defended himself from accusations by affirming that his questionable academic credentials are valid.
Sakaja’s degree petitioned
On 29th June, Commission for University Education revoked the recognition of the senator’s degree certificate after he allegedly failed to prove the valid owner of the degree.
“Based on these findings and in compliance with the ongoing provisions of sections of The Universities Act, 2012, Part XI of The Universities Regulations 2014, The Universities Standards and Guidelines, 2014, and the Standards for recognition and Equation of qualifications and granted the disclaimer in the certificate of recognition issued, the Commission has come to the inescapable decision to that the purported degree certificate of Bachelor of Science in Management (External) is ineligible for recognition,” the letter states.
IEBC on the other hand declined to revoke the senator’s clearance certificate arguing that the commission will only revoke Sakaja’s clearance certificate under the directives of the High Court.
Sakaja will now face off against Azimio – One Kenya technocrat candidate Polycap Igathe, Independent candidate Agnes Kagure, and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate Kenneth Nyamwamu among others.
