Game on as Sonko is Permitted to Run for Governor of Mombasa

Mike Sonko has been given the go-ahead by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to run for governor of Mombasa.

On Thursday afternoon, Returning Officer Swalha Ibrahim presented a certificate to Mr. Sonko and his running companion Ali Mbogo.

Mr. Sonko was instructed by the commission earlier in the day to turn in his papers today between 2 and 4 p.m.
A three-judge panel overturned the IEBC’s decision to bar the former Nairobi governor from running for governor on Wednesday.

The courts also decided that Mr. Sonko was qualified to run for office under the Constitution.

The court stated that the IEBC’s decision to reject Mr. Sonko’s papers was unconstitutional because he currently has an appeal on his impeachment pending at the Supreme Court.

With barely 25 days to the elections on August 9 the IEBC has stated that it is unable to appeal the court’s ruling.

“We’ll carry out the ruling. The impeachment’s problems would be resolved along the way, according to Wafula Chebukati, chairman of the IEBC.

“We are also behind schedule in updating the ballots. We do not have time to take any other action in the majority of the (court) matters we are involved in. As the IEBC, our goal is to complete the procedure so that Kenyans may have legitimate elections on August 9.

On Wednesday, he participated in an interview with Kenyan TV stations.

However, Mr. Chebukati’s views appeared to be at odds with those of IEBC Chief Executive Marjan Hussein Marjan, who stated that it was necessary to wait for the outcome of the impeachment case against Mr. Sonko because it was still pending before the Supreme Court.

Mr. Marjan added that it was crucial to watch developments at the Supreme Court and wait for further information. The decision to appeal would subsequently be decided, he added.
In the same interview, Mr. Marjan stated, “As a commission we have not decided whether to appeal or not, but to us what is crucial is to wait for the Supreme Court to pronounce itself.