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How come Miguna was cleared to vie? Kenyans ask after citizenship storm

By EDDY KAGERA February 7th, 2018 1 min read

Kenyans have camped on social media questioning why deported Nasa activist Miguna Miguna was cleared to vie for Nairobi governor’s seat if he was not a Kenyan.

On Tuesday, Miguna was deported to Canada aboard a KLM flight and Interior ministry claimed he had denounced his Kenyan citizenship years back.

Spokesman Mwenda Njoka said the lawyer never bothered to reclaim it.

“Mr Miguna denounced his Kenyan citizenship years back, acquired Canadian citizenship and never bothered to reclaim Kenyan citizenship in the legally prescribed manner neither did he disclose that he had another country’s citizenship despite being a lawyer who should have known better,” Mr Mwenda said on Twitter.

But curious Kenyans wondered why he was cleared to for Nairobi governorship in the August general election.

Below are a few concerns:

Miguna’s citizenship was first put in 2010 when he served as adviser to then Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
PNU politicians had called for his deportation claiming he had denounced his citizenship.

But then Immigration minister Otieno Kajwang told off the critics saying Miguna remained a Kenyan citizen.

“Mr Miguna is a Kenyan citizen by birth. I have looked at his file and there is no evidence that he has renounced his citizenship,” he said.