Sonko blames Supreme Court for political woes, vows to fight back

 

Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko. [Courtesy Meta]

Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has blamed the Supreme Court for his political woes.

Sonko on Thursday said a section of the judges at the apex court are to blame for his impeachment and subsequent decisions that barred him from holding any public office.

While speaking on a Spice FM interview, the outspoken politician took issue with the Chief Justice and President of the top court for having made predetermined statements that sealed his fate six years ago.

Sonko, while hinting at the possibility of reviving the case, said that although his impeachment was politically instigated by the ‘deep state’, the fact that the CJ, as the president of the court, made some remarks on a national radio, suggested that once a public figure has been impeached, there can never be any other way out.

“The other day I saw the Supreme Court seeking an advisory input from the Attorney General on the impeachment. Why are they seeking an opinion while the Chief Justice was here telling the world that once you are impeached, that is the end of your journey? he posed.

According to Sonko, the CJ is not supposed to go to a public broadcaster to talk on a matter that was active before her court.

“The same CJ presided over my case when she ought to have disqualified or recused herself from listening to my matter because she had formed an opinion already that impeached governors are not supposed to participate in politics. To me, that was wrong,” he said.

He added, “What happened after her sentiments? The IBC barred me from vying for Mombasa governorship. The same CJ empanelled a three-judge bench to determine my eligibility and whether I would be allowed to contest or not. What did the court find? I was eligible to vie.”

Sonko argued that the law says once a governor is impeached, or convicted, he should be allowed to vie provided he has an active appeal in a court of law challenging the same conviction or sentence or decision.

As we speak, some of the individuals who moved and seconded the impeachment motion have since publicly distanced themselves from the process and claimed they acted under pressure,” he said.

To him, these developments raise fresh questions about the integrity of the impeachment proceedings through the judicial process.

“The judgement had some loopholes because the judge who was to decide on the matter had been removed. There is nothing like giving up in this life. I have never given up in everything that I have been pursuing because the MCAs who wrongly accused me have now affidavits which have been filed before the Supreme Court,” he said.

Sonko further hinted that he will soon begin the process of seeking a review of the Supreme Court’s decision, saying he intends to involve legal experts, constitutional scholars and members of the public in what he believes could shape future jurisprudence on the impeachment of elected leaders across the country.