May 28, 2022, marked a difficult day for Karungo wa Thang'wa, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Kiambu senatorial aspirant, as the High Court declined his request to stop an earlier ruling barring the IEBC from receiving his nomination papers.
The court's decision was based on an earlier ruling that Thang'wa had been impeached as a county executive in Kiambu County under former governor Ferdinand Waititu, making him ineligible to vie for the seat.
Justice Anthony Mrima had also referred the matter to a three-judge bench, which will be appointed by Chief Justice Martha Koome to deal with related and similar suits.
Thang'wa's woes began when a voter, Kelvin Njui Wangari, petitioned the court to bar him from the upcoming polls on grounds that he was impeached from office on alleged gross misconduct.
He was impeached in October 2019 when serving as the Kiambu county government minister for Youth Affairs and Sports.
IEBC has also stated that they will not clear impeached politicians to run for elective office in line with the provision of Article 75(3) of the Constitution.
Thang'wa has appealed, arguing that he has 'never been impeached or removed from office as contemplated under section 40 of the County Governments Act.'
He further stated that the court's order to consolidate his impeachment case with others was obtained by the petitioner through misrepresentation of facts.
Thang'wa has blamed the 'deep state' and his opponents for his current woes, saying the move to stop his bid will fall terribly.
