Sonko’s daughter faults IEBC for failing to clear his dad to run in Mombasa
Saumu Mbuvi, the firstborn daughter of former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, is not happy with how the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has conducted the just-concluded clearance of political aspirants.
Saumu’s rant comes a day after her father failed to get clearance from IEBC to run for the Mombasa gubernatorial seat.
“Democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. The constitution and the will of the people must be respected,” Saumu said.
On Tuesday evening, Mr Sonko and his legal team, led by lawyer Titus Kirui, engaged the electoral commission in a standoff at Kenya School of Government in Mombasa as he pushed Mombasa Returning Officer Swalhah Yusuf to clear him.
Yusuf failed to clear the former Nairobi governor and asked him to return to their offices for further instructions. But on Wednesday, Sonko, who is seeking to contest the Mombasa seat on Wiper party ticket, failed to show up for the meeting as directed.
Mr Sonko was impeached as Nairobi governor on December 17, 2020. The Senate, while passing the resolution to remove him from office, found him guilty of plundering public resources, persistently intimidating and molesting officers of the County Executive Committee and unlawfully using public funds to pay for his daughter to travel to New York, USA.
He was also found guilty of persistently and willfully using, publicising and publishing abusive and unbecoming words and language as evidenced by his social media posts. Further, he made numerous rants in which he hailed abuses and conducted himself in a manner that undermines and demeans the office of the governor.
On Monday, a bench appointed by Chief Justice Martha Koome to determine whether aspirants with integrity issues can vie for elective positions withdrew orders that restrained the electoral commission from allowing Mr Sonko to vie for the Mombasa gubernatorial seat.
Judges David Majanja, Enock Chacha Mwita and Mugure Thande also consolidated nine petitions regarding the matter.