UDA Kiambu Senatorial Candidate Thang’wa in Trouble After Court Blocked IEBC Clearance

The IEBC will not be able to clear former Kiambu CEC Karungo wa Thang’wa to run for Senate in the August 9 elections, the High Court has ruled.

Thang’wa is the UDA senate contender in Kiambu.

Following a petition filed by Kelvin Njui Wangari, who challenged Thang’wa’s eligibility citing his impeachment as a County Executive Committee Member for Youth and Sports in 2019, Justice Anthony Mrima instructed the electoral agency to temporarily not approve his candidacy.

As a result, Mirima stated that the problems mentioned in the petition touched on Chapter Six of the Constitution, which deals with integrity, and ordered the Wafula Chebukati-led Commission to refrain from producing ballot papers bearing his name or symbol until the matter is heard and decided.

Read: Kiambu Speaker Ndichu Steps Aside in Favour of UDA Senatorial Aspirant Karungo wa Thang’wa

“Pending further orders of the expanded bench, the IEBC is hereby prohibited from clearing Paul Karungo Thang’wa to vie as a candidate for any elective office at the August 9 Gen Election and or printing ballot papers bearing his name or symbol,” read the court order in part.

The Supreme Court of Kenya is currently considering whether or not impeached leaders can run for office in an election, according to Justice Mrima.

“It relates to Chapter Six of the Constitution, especially when a public officer is impeached from office. This matter is hereby referred to the Honourable Chief Justice to be dealt with alongside the other related matters of the expanded bench of the High Court,” he said.

Thang’wa, for one, blamed his misfortunes on his opponents, accusing them of colluding with the ‘deep state’ to sabotage his political ambitions.

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“Dear deep state and the opponents, we cannot be intimidated (hatutishiki sisi). Play your games, and in the end prepare your candidates for the elections. Only the people through the ballot will decide. No other shortcut!”

Thang’wa indicated that he had not been served with the petition and hence was unaware of it. He also disputed being impeached, claiming that he only stepped down after former governor Ferdinand Waititu was impeached.

“There is no case here because for me, there was no impeachment. I left the job once Waititu was impeached and the law says that when a governor leaves office, he leaves together with the CECs,” stated Thang’wa.

“I am waiting to be served. I want to assure the people of Kiambu that I will fight to the very end, they should remain peaceful as we handle the matter in court.”

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The decision comes after the High Court in Mombasa dismissed a suit brought by two voters attempting to prevent the IEBC from receiving and processing the candidacy papers of former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko.

The court ordered that the case be enjoined together with two other lawsuits trying to prevent Sonko from running for governor of Mombasa.

During an interview with Spice FM on May 20, Chief Justice Martha Koome declared that impeached leaders should not be permitted to run for office until the court lifts the impeachment.

“You remain impeached until that impeachment is lifted. When you are sentenced, you are sentenced until the sentence is set aside,” she explained.