The Supreme Court has stopped the swearing-in of Anne Kananu Mwenda as Nairobi governor pending hearing and determination of an appeal filed by former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko.
Sonko in yet another application succeeded in blocking the deputy governor from ascending to the powerful office which has remained vacant following his ouster by city MCAs and the Senate last year in December.
In the latest appeal, which has been certified as urgent by Justice Mohammed Ibrahim, Sonko claims he is being deprived of his seat unconstitutionally.
The matter will be heard and determined in two weeks.
Last Friday, a three-judge bench dismissed Sonko’s application seeking to bar Kananu from being sworn in as the County boss on grounds that it did not meet the requisite threshold.
The Court of Appeal judges also noted that the issue of Kananu’s swearing-in was not among the grounds raised by Sonko in his appeal.
“We find that the issue of the swearing-in of the 11th respondent was not raised in the High Court and the impugned judgment did not address or determine that issue,” Justices Wanjiru Karanja, Jamila Mohammed and Jessie Lesiit said.
Meanwhile, Lamu Senator Anwar Loitiptip has been released on a cash bail of 500,000 shillings or a bond of 1 million shillings by a Nanyuki Law court.
The MP had been arrested for allegedly shooting a 32-year-old woman in Nanyuki town, Laikipia County.
Nanyuki Resident Magistrate, Vincent Masivo, noted that there were no compelling reasons to detain the accused for further five days as requested by the office of the Director of Public Prosecution.
