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Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has now dragged Azimio la Umoja deputy presidential candidate Martha Karua into his impeachment saga.
Sonko claims that Karua is a neighbour and an alleged “best friend” to Chief Justice Martha Koome.
He adds that before the Supreme court handed its judgment, Karua had allegedly implored him to step down.
According to Sonko’s affidavit filed by his lawyer Wilfred Nyamu, Karua allegedly asked him to support Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Mombasa governor candidate Abdulswamad Nassir.
Although Sonko does not provide proof of Karua’s influence on the Supreme Court and how her friendship with the CJ affected his case, he claims Chief Justice rushed the hearing of his appeal.
Sonko has decided to train his guns on the CJ although the decision to hear his appeal and final judgment was delivered by the seven judges of that court.
The bench that heard the case included Justice Koome, her deputy Philomena Mwilu and Justices Mohamed Ibrahim, Smokin Wanjala, Njoki Ndung’u, Isaac Lenaola and William Ouko.
He claims that politicians such as John Waluke and Kiambu’s senatorial aspirant Karungo wa Thang’wa have their appeals before court and they have not been fast-tracked.
“One wonders why matters are being rushed to abide by the elections scheduled while there are other litigants like John Waluke who has been convicted and sentenced for 67 years imprisonment yet no special court proceedings have been set to fast track his appeals,” Sonko claims.
In the filings, Sonko wants the Chief Justice to withdraw herself from hearing his application for review.
He also claims that since he has filed a petition for her removal from office, she should not preside over the review. Sonko was responding to Attorney General Kihara Kariuki, Nairobi County and Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) who claim that the review and the allegations cannot be substantiated.
According to the AG’s lawyer Paul Nyamodi, the former governor had been aware of the allegations he is now filing before he filed the appeal.
Nyamodi urged the court to dismiss the review and condemn Sonko to pay the cost of the case. The senior lawyer asserted that there is no link between court’s judgment and the allegations he is now raising.
On the other hand, Nairobi County’s lawyer Duncan Okatch argued that the Supreme Court has no power to re-open Sonko’s case as it handed its judgment on July 15.
“The instant application as filed by the applicant is an attempt to reopen the case and is geared towards filling in the gaps or loopholes that were established when the court rendered itself,” said Okatch.
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