Migori governor accused of bribing Supreme Court judge

PHOTO/Nation

– Migori Governor Okoth Obado has been accused of using public resources to tarmac a private road leading to Supreme Court Judge Jackson Ojwang’s home. The act could have influenced Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate him as governor after his election was nullified by a lower court, nine petitioners have said

– Another Supreme Court judge, Philip Tonui, is already on suspension after he was accused of receiving KSh 200 million from Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero in order to have an election petition rule in his favour

A governor has been suspected of influencing a Supreme Court judge to rule in his favour.

Nine individuals, on Friday, March 11, file a petition seeking to have Migori Governor Okoth Obado investigated for apparently using county’s resources to win a favour from Justice Jackson Ojwang.

“On April 12, 2014, a group of Migori youths demonstrated along the construction site to the judge’s home, protesting against the entailed corruption, using public resources, particularly at the time when the governor’s petition against Court of Appeal ruling against him was before the Supreme Court in which Justice Ojwang sits,” reads an affidavit signed by one of the petitioners, as quoted by The Star.

According to the petitioners, tarmacking of the private road leading to Ojwang’s home could have led to the favourable ruling towards Obado at the Supreme court.

Obado went to the Supreme Court after Court of Appeal, on March 28, 2014, nullified his election as the Migori governor.

His closest rival in the gubernatorial race, Edward Oyugi, had gone to the High Court to contest the results. Lady Justice Esther Maina upheld Obado’s election but the dissatisfied petitioner moved to the appeal court.

Three Court of Appeal judges – Justices Onyango Otieno, William Ouko and Sankale ole Kantai – quashed the High Court ruling due to what they termed as carelessness in data transmission by Independent Electoral Commission (IEBC).

IEBC official results had given Obado a 163 votes lead ahead of Oyugi. A recount later saw the margin increase by 577 votes but one IEBC official produced a list showing that Oyugi won by 379 votes.

Obado disputed the appellate court’s ruling and in July that year, the Supreme Court reinstated him as Migori governor.

The seven judges unanimously ruled that in nullifying Obado’s election, the Court of Appeal exceeded its mandate by considering new evidence which had not been presented before the High Court.

The judges who ruled on the cased alongside Ojwang were: Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, Kalpana Rawal, Philip Tunoi, Mohammed Ibrahim, Smokin Wanjala and Njoki Ndung’u.

Tunoi is on suspension for allegedly receiving KSh 200 million bribe from Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero in order to rule in favour of the governor.

This article was first published on Tuko

Read full article here : Tuko