This archive report was first published on 19 December 2019.
On December 19, 2019, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko filed an urgent application with the anti-corruption division of the High Court, seeking to disqualify three judges from hearing his case.
According to the application, Sonko's lawyer, Harrison Kinyanjui, argued that Justices Mumbi Ngugi and Grace Ngenye had previously made rulings in a similar matter, barring Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu and Samburu Governor Moses Lenulkulal from accessing their county offices.
Sonko also claimed that Justice John Onyiego was hearing another petition he had filed, challenging his prosecution, and that the judges would be biased against him.
The main case involves Sonko's challenge to a ruling that barred him from accessing his office, which he argues is akin to ousting him from office. He is also seeking an order to bar the Speaker of the County Assembly from assuming his office pending the determination of the case.
Furthermore, Sonko's lawyer argued that it was wrong for Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti to order him to remove his items from the county offices, as though he had ceased having the right of access.
