The high court approved the impeachment of former Nairobi governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko.
The judges further ruled that Kananu was properly vetted and appointed as the deputy governor.
The judgment was delivered by a 3 judge bench in two separate consolidated cases involving more than ten parties. Parties have 10 days to appeal the ruling.
It all started as a typical laughing matter on the 6th of January 2020, when former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko announced the appointment of Ann Kananu Mwenda as his deputy.
“We have only highlighted a few of the charges and we are satisfied that the allegations made were connected to Sonko and were substantiated to the required standard,” said Justice Said Chitembwe.
“We therefore cannot fault the county assembly and the Senate for their decision to impeach on Sonko,”he said.
Justices Said Chitembwe, Weldon Korir and Wilfrida Okwany dismissed Sonko’s claims that he had withdrawn Kananu’s nomination letter prior to her vetting.
The judges ruling that Sonko had in fact set in motion the recruitment process of deputy governor when he submitted the appointment letter to IEBC, which subsequently submitted it to the county assembly.
Kananu was vetted and approved by the city members of the county assembly after two petitioners withdrew a case in which they had challenged Kananu’s nomination,” said Justice Wilfrida Okwany.
“It is undisputed that one Kananu took oath of office of deputy governor in compliance with that article 74 the constitution and section 30 subsection one of the county governments act,” said Justice Wilfrida Okwany.
“On the allegations that the president of the Republic of Kenya was behind the impeachment of one Sonko from the material placed before this court which is the only material that we are required by law to consider, we do not see any external hand in the impeachment of one Sonko,” said Justice Said Chitembwe.
The more than 10 consolidated petitions relating to the two cases had been filed by among other parties, katiba institute, the Law Society of Kenya and activist Okiya Omtatah.
The assumption of office of governor committee is now set to renew plans for Kananu’s swearing in as a substantive Nairobi governor, even as Sonko’s allies with their options about appealing the verdict at the appellate court
