Group wants Kajiado West Jubilee Party nominee academic papers probed

A group of professionals want the ethics body to probe academic credentials of area county Deputy speaker who clinched a Jubilee Party (JP) ticket for the Kajiado West Parliamentary seat.

The groups Maa Youth Professionals have written to Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) seeking to have George Sunkuyia, who is the Keekonyokie MCA questioned over his academic qualifications .

Mr Sunkuyia caused a major upset in Kajiado County during the recently conducted JP nominations after he garnered 10,189 votes, flooring incumbent the MP Moses Sakuda who managed 7,479 votes.

According to the letter by the group which was received on Wednesday by EACC, the professionals claim that the politician does not have any post-secondary education qualification as required by the law.

"According to our knowledge he never sat for any course after his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) which he did in 2015, contrary to what he declared to the commission," reads the letter, in part.

The politician was cleared to vie in the nominations after submitting a certificate he acquired from Melangine Youth Polytechnic in Nyandurua County after studying for six months from April to September 2016.

But the group insists that during the time he (Sunkuyia) claims to have been studying for his certificate in Community Development at the college, he was actually discharging his duties at the County Assembly.

"We urgently request your office to investigate and verify his academic certificates for the good of the people and voters of Kajiado West Sub-County," adds the letter, seen by The Standard on Sunday.
The Independent Boundaries and Electoral Commission (IEBC)aspiring MPs to vie for the seats starting next Thursday and Friday.

Ezra Chiloba the IEBC CEO on Friday however said the commission will not clear candidates with unresolved integrity issues, that they have not appealed against.

Those vying for various seats in General Election but have issues with constitutional bodies have less than a week to clear their names, or risk being locked out of the polls.