If there is a place that many Kenyans wouldn’t want to ever step foot in, it’s the Kenyan courts, well or else you are going for a friendly visit. The Kenyan courts are feared majorly because of the high fees one has to part with and also because some of the sentences handed in there can either make of break you.
One Kenyan that seem to love the courts is Embu governor Martin Wambora. This is a man that time after time has won cases that many seemingly viewed will bring an end to his political career.
Wambora is the only Kenyan governor that has survived onslaught after onslaught. From being impeached by members of his county assembly, to avoiding senate’s resolve to remove him from office, the governor continues to rise in the political sphere.
Today was no different as the Embu High Court dismissed a petition filed to seek orders declaring Governor Martin Wambora unfit to hold public office on integrity grounds.
Former Manyatta Member of Parliament Emilio Kathuri, who filed the petition, claimed the governor had violated Chapter Six of the Kenyan Constitution following his impeachment four years ago.
In his affidavit, Kathuri claimed that the Supreme Court on December 15, 2017 ruled that the manner in which the County Assembly of Embu removed Wambora from office on January 16, 2014 was legal and proper.
Through his lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi, the MP argued that since the county assembly passed a vote of no confidence in the governor over the issues and the Senate went ahead to impeach him, then the governor is in office illegally and ought to be removed.
The governor earlier this year also won a protracted battle pitting him and Maendeleo Chap Chap’s Lenny Kivuti. Mr. Kivuti has accused Wambora of rigging elections enroute to being declared winner by the IEBC.
Wambora won last year’s elections with 97,544 votes against 96,597 Kivuti.
In a judgement read by Justice Fatuma Sichale, the Court of the Appeal noted that his competitor Lenny Kivuti of the Maendeleo Chap Chap party failed to prove his case.
The three-bench consisting of Justices Sichale, William Ouko and Daniel Musinga said the minor irregularities adduced did not warrant a scrutiny and subsequent recount of votes.
“Because the appellant was validly elected, we set aside the judgement of the election court rendered on 22nd of February 2018 and the subsequent orders; the cost of this appeal to be met by the first respondent and they are awarded to the appellant, the second, third and fourth respondent, which are to be taxed but they should not exceed the sum of Sh1.5 million,” reads a section of the judgement.
Today’r ruling will clearly put Governor Wambora in history books as no governor has been viciously fought like him and no governor has been vindicated by the courts either as him.