Thursday, January 28, 2021 – The race to succeed impeached former Governor for Nairobi Mike Sonko has taken another twist that brought further confusion.
This is after former Deputy Governor Polycarp Igathe told the court that he was not aware of whether he resigned as Sonko’s deputy or not.
He asked the High Court to determine whether his resignation was formalized.
In an application filed in Nairobi yesterday, Igathe acknowledged that though he tendered a resignation letter, it was not yet clear as to whether any legal proceedings were undertaken to formalize it.
He asked the court to determine the legal implication in not concluding the resignation.
“That the legal effect of the failure to formalize or recognize my resignation and the failure by Nairobi County or any public institution to conduct any legal formalities to conclude my resignation is a matter to be determined by this honourable court in my humble view,” an affidavit by Igathe read in part.
Igathe’s Lawyer, Peter Kiiru, told the court that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had no right to conduct a by-election in Nairobi pending the determination of his client’s resignation.
The court had, however, stopped the Nairobi gubernatorial by-election pending the determination of several cases.
The court also halted the swearing-in of Anne Kananu Mwenda as Governor of Nairobi, after several parties including the Law Society of Kenya moved to court seeking to have an election in the capital.
Kiiru argued that the Speaker of the County Assembly was not made aware of Igathe’s resignation as stipulated by law.
Igathe had resigned on January 12, 2018, in a letter addressed to the then-Governor Mike Sonko and copied to the Speaker of the County Assembly.
The Nairobi Gubernatorial seat has become a bone of contention since the ouster of former Governor Sonko on December 17, 2020.
E! News Blog
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