Kenyan MP loses seat

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Kitutu Masaba MP Walter Nyambati has lost his seat after a court nullified his lection over irregularities August 12, 2011. FILE 

By NATION Reporter
Posted  Friday, August 12  2011 at  10:51

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Kitutu Masaba MP Walter Nyambati has lost his seat after a court nullified his election over irregularities Friday.

Mr Nyambati, who is also the vice chairman of the Parliamentary Service Commission, becomes the 11th MP to lose his seat in election petitions.

Resident judge Milton Makhandia nullified the election following a petition filed by a voter Justus Omiti Mong’umbu.

Mr Nyambati was declared the elected Kitutu Masaba MP during the 2007 General Election.

Mr Mong’umbu had also sued Mr Nyambati, returning officer Lawrence Ole Sempele and the Interim Independent Electoral Commission as second and third respondents respectively.

In his submissions, Mr Mong’umbu’s lawyer Otiende Amollo asked the court to invalidate the MP’s election, saying that the 2007 parliamentary elections were marred by anomalies.

Mr Amollo said that no form 17A was filled before the declaration of the results, adding that what was used in the announcement was a computer-generated printout which was not filled by Mr Sempele.

Mr Nyambati’s lawyer Osoro Mogikoyo told the court that Mr Mong’umbu should prove how the irregularities affected the outcome of the electoral process.

Mr Nyambati joins a growing list of MPs in the Tenth Parliament whose seats have been nullified.

Other legislators who lost their seats include: Joel Onyancha (Bomachoge), Omingo Magara (South Mugirango), Chirau Mwakwere (Matuga), Simon Mbugua (Kamukunji), Dick Wathika (Makadara), George Thuo (Juja), Margaret Wanjiru (Starehe), Ngata Kariuki (Kirinyanga Central), Boni Khalwale (Ikolomani) andAbdirahman Hassan (Wajir South).

Only Mr Mwakwere, Mrs Wanjiru and Mr Khalwale made it back to Parliament in the subsequent by-elections.