Kiambu, Kenya: Details have emerged that Kiambu Deputy Governor Gerald Gakuha could have been cleared irregularly by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to run for the top job.
The Standard can reveal that Gakuha, who deputises Kiambu Governor William Kabogo, could be a holder of dual citizenship, which is against the law for all State officers.
The deputy governor is suspected to have acquired British nationality having lived in UK for years.
According to Article 78 of the Constitution on Citizenship and Leadership, a person is not eligible for appointment to a State office unless the person is a citizen of Kenya.
“A State officer or a member of the defence forces shall not hold dual citizenship,” states Article 78 (2) of Kenya’s 2010 Constitution.
The Standard has also established that the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has raised the complaint with IEBC chairman Isaac Hassan and has requested the commission to provide documents filed by Kabogo and Gakuha before last year’s polls.
“This is to request you to provide information and documents that were filed by the Governor of Kiambu County and his running mate as at the time of submission of the relevant electoral documents for clearance to contest in the March 2013 General Election,” reads the LSK letter.
British national
The letter was written by LSK Chief Executive Apollo Mboya and copied to the society chairman Eric Mutua.
The society attached a document indicating that Gakuha is the director of a company known as Pinnacle of Excellence Limited and is a British national.
“The attached information indicating that the above-named deputy governor is a British nationality has come to our attention,” said Mboya in the letter.
The society also cited Article 260 of the Constitution, which lists governors, their deputies, members of the county assembly as part of State officers. Contacted, Gakuha vehemently denied the allegations but admitted that he stayed in Britain for a long time. “My passport allows me to go in and out of Britain frequently but I am not a British national,” responded the Kiambu leader.
The deputy governor maintained that he could not divulge more details.
“I cannot confirm whether you work for The Standard or not. Come to my office in Thika,” he responded on our inquiries on phone.-standardmedia.co.ke
