The rising political star of Senator Johnson Sakaja was Wednesday on the brink of being dimmed as questions over his academic qualifications threatened to derail his bid for governor of the capital city.
In a dramatic escalation, Mr Sakaja blamed President Kenyatta—the patron who raised him to the national political platform—for his woes, signalling a major falling out between the pair who rode to power on a popular wave through their glitzy party, The National Alliance (TNA), in 2013.
Trouble for Mr Sakaja escalated Wednesday after a letter from the Commission for University Education (CUE) revoking its previous recognition of a degree certificate he had presented for clearance to run for Nairobi governor emerged.
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But in a new twist last night, Mr Sakaja got a reprieve after the IEBC (Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission)’s dispute resolution committee dismissed three petitions against him following the litigants’ failure to show up.
Read: Who is Sakaja Koskei?
The senator also scored another win after the team rejected the bid by the fourth petitioner, Mr Dennis Gakuu, to introduce new evidence, including the letter by CUE denouncing Mr Sakaja’s degree certificate.
Earlier Wednesday, the embattled city senator had posted an angry riposte on his verified social media accounts, accusing President Kenyatta of intimidating the commission to withdraw its recognition of his academic papers.
CUE chief executive Mwenda Ntarangwi had only last week, on June 6, written to the IEBC affirming the validity of his Bachelor of Science in Management (External) degree from Team University in Uganda.
It was also the CEO who had communicated with Team University and Uganda’s National Council for Higher Education, which confirmed that the institution was properly accredited and that Sakaja’s degree was issued legitimately.
Curiously, however, it was not the CEO who wrote to the IEBC reversing the earlier decision, but CUE chairman Chacha Nyaigotti-Chacha. Mr Sakaja seized upon this to respond.
“Treat CUE as an entity, not individuals,” Prof Nyaigotti-Chacha replied to a query by the Nation.
“President Uhuru Kenyatta and the entire state machinery have gone on an intimidation spree against institutions locally and in Uganda to revoke the recognition of my qualifications in a bid to stop me from being the Governor of Nairobi. They have sent officials from the Kenyan High Commission in Uganda to intimidate Team University staff as well as that country’s National Council for Higher Education,” Mr Sakaja charged, alleging a scheme to lock him out of the race to favour his main competitor, Azimio la Umoja’s Polycarp Igathe.
No evidence to claims
The senator did not provide any evidence, but his claims had the effect of escalating the issue beyond the validity of his education to the increasingly bitter war between President Kenyatta and his estranged deputy William Ruto.
The Ruto camp has been blaming most of the woes facing key members, including indictments for corruption and other crimes, on political vendetta.
Prof Nyaigotti-Chacha denied that he had been pressured, saying, the commission acted within its mandate after receiving information concerning how the Senator obtained the degree.
He added that the commission and other agencies are investigating the degree’s validity.
“It’s the recognition we earlier accorded that is in abeyance, not the degree,” he said, but he did not explain why CUE withdrew recognition when the matter was still under investigation and it was not yet determined that the degree was fake.
He also did not explain the nature of fresh evidence that had emerged to prompt the CUE to take such a drastic move.
Efforts to get a comment from the CEO were unsuccessful as he did not respond to messages and calls from the Nation. However, Mr Sakaja alleged that the decision was solely the chairman’s and that the commission had not met.
“The desperate attempts by President Kenyatta and the so-called Deep State will fall on the sword of justice. I have the requisite qualifications to vie for the position of Governor of Nairobi and will be on the ballot,” Mr Sakaja vowed.
Challenge CUE adverse action
Last evening, Mr Sakaja moved to the High Court to challenge the adverse action by CUE.
Mr Sakaja shot into the national limelight on May 20, 2012 when he was introduced as front man for the newest political party on the scene then—Mr Kenyatta’s The National Alliance (TNA).
Rousing speech
The youthful and then podgy party chairman delivered a rousing speech that was anchored on the party’s clarion call: I Believe.
Led by youthful officials, it was branded as a breath of fresh air in the pungent Kenyan political space, long dominated by the same familiar faces.
It packaged itself as the happiest party in the country, identifying with the youth and playing up contrasts between the ‘analogue’ and ‘digital’ generations.
