NO WHERE TO RUN

…Ousted Nairobi governor’s run in another city halted

NAIROBI - A court has temporarily barred the Kenyan electoral body from clearing a controversial former governor of the capital Nairobi from running for the same seat in the coastal city of Mombasa.

The high court in Mombasa ordered the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission not to process Mike Sonko’s nomination papers for the August 9 election pending the case.

Three civil society organisations that have sued Sonko want him disqualified, because he was removed from office as Nairobi governor for violating the constitution.

They say that since he was found unsuitable to hold office, he should similarly not hold any other public office.

Sonko was impeached in December 2020 for gross misconduct and abuse of office.

Meanwhile in Nigeria, the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations on Tuesday expressed worries over Clauses 50 and 88 in the Electoral Bill currently being amended at the National Assembly.

Clause 50 (2) of the Bill states that: “Voting at an election under this Bill shall be in accordance with the procedure determined by the Commission (INEC), which may include electronic voting, PROVIDED that the Commission shall not transmit results of elections by electronic means.”

Convener of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room of the coalition, Ene Obi, told a news conference that providing for electronic voting, but prohibiting electronic transmission of results was restrictive.

“Anything short of electronic voting and electronic transmission of results will be unacceptable.” Obi said.

She noted that accredited observers had over the years identified the collation process as the weak link in Nigeria’s elections.

She said the process, often shrouded in human interference and other unforeseen occurrences, sometimes resulted in lack of transparency, efficiency and accountability, capable of undermining the credibility of the entire process.

“This is a challenge that can be tackled by electronic transmission of results, if implemented properly,” she stressed.