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2017 KENYA ELECTIONS

NGO in court to block Raila from August poll

Human Rights Africa through its advocate Robert Onyango wants the High Court to find that Odinga does not meet the leadership and integrity requirements set out in Chapter 6 of the Constitution/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 19 – A petitioner has moved to court in an effort to have former Prime Minister Raila Odinga declared unfit to occupy any public office, let alone that of the Presidency.

Human Rights Africa through its advocate Robert Onyango wants the High Court to find that Odinga does not meet the leadership and integrity requirements set out in Chapter 6 of the Constitution on account of the corruption scandals Raila has been accused of involvement in.

In his petition, he cites the Dominion Farms saga, Molasses, Triton and maize scandals in which Odinga has been adversely mentioned.

“The 1st respondent in particular, has never been publicly cleared of wrongdoings or involvement in the said scandals. Therefore, substantive questions of the 1st respondent’s integrity, both of his person and character on his suitability to vie for public or state office remain unanswered,” the petition reads.

The NGO also seeks an order to compel Odinga to produce his university certificate arguing that the Opposition leader has never publicly presented documentation to prove he holds a Masters of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Human Rights Africa which had first petitioned the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to investigate Odinga, now wants it compelled to do so.

The NGO also wants the same order issued to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the Director of Public Prosecutions compelled to institute charges against Odinga.

Human Rights Africa also wants the Commission for University Education to verify Odinga’s academic qualifications. “The 1st respondent has always claimed publicly that he attended university between the years of 1965-1970 to study a Master of Sciences in Mechanical Engineering.

So far, he has only produced a certificate acquired in the years of 1962-1965, Certificate of Higher Education from Herder Institute, Leipzig, German Democratic Republic, with competence in German Language. The lack of clarity emanates from the fact that the university in which the 1st Respondent claims to have attended only recently became a university and hence could not by all means have conferred a degree in 1970.”

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