22nd February, 2018
High Court sitting in Embu County has nullified Governor Martin Wambora’s re-election in the August 8th Poll. The High Court had ordered the scrutiny and recount of votes in select polling stations in the Embu governor’s election last year. Governor Martin Wambora was declared the winner with 97,760 votes. Former senator Lenny Kivuti, who was second with 96,775 votes, filed a petition challenging Mr Wambora’s win, claiming the election was marred by irregularities and malpractices. Justice William Musyoka yesterday granted Mr Kivuti’s prayer for scrutiny and recount of votes in select polling stations where there were alleged to be electoral malpractices and discrepancies to verify who the actual winner was. “I find that there is sufficient basis for ordering a scrutiny in selected centres where the grounds are overwhelming,” ruled Justice Musyoka. The judge said his ruling was based on the grounds that at the time the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) announced the results, Wambora had defeated Kivuti by 985 votes.