Voters ask court to stop Wambui from succeeding Kibaki in Othaya

Four voters have gone to court seeking to block businesswoman Mary Wambui from vying for the Othaya parliamentary seat on the grounds that she lacks the integrity and education standards required to do so.

The petitioners in the case filed at the High Court in Nairobi claim Ms Wambui, who has variously been referred to as the Othaya activist, is unfit to seek public office because she was linked to the 2007/2008 post-election violence and has been mentioned adversely in reports on drugs trade.

The constituency has been represented in Parliament by President Mwai Kibaki since 1974.

Ms Wambui is among aspirants for the seat in the March 4, 2013, election with the President expected to go into retirement. (Read: Wambui speaks on family, drugs and her new political ambitions)

But Mr Michael Nderitu, Mr Silvester Muriithi, Mr Daniel Karinga and Mr Kiambati Kihumba, who have identified themselves as residents of Othaya in their petition, claim that  Ms Wambui lacks the integrity to succeed President Kibaki as Othaya MP.

“The seat has for the last four decades been held by a person of impeccable character, high moral standing and with such a clean record,” argue the petitioners who want the case determined before the General Election.

They have asked the court to stop the electoral commission from clearing Ms Wambui to vie for the seat, citing the academic, moral and ethical requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution.

They claim that Ms Wambui did not proceed to secondary school after repeating primary school examinations in 1966 but took up a job at Mukimo Primary School in Laikipia for one year as untrained teacher.

“What is, however,  in  the public domain  is that she never  attended  high school  and does not have  an O’level certificate  let alone  a degree certificate  that is required by law,” say the petitioners.

The quartet claims that the businesswoman was mentioned adversely in the reports by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights and the Waki commission that investigated the post-election violence.

Ms Wambui, they argue, was also mentioned adversely in a parliamentary report on the Artur brothers affair in 2006.

In addition to being linked to drugs trade, the Armenians were alleged to have been unprocedurally allowed into the country and given access to security installations.

“Serious and plausible allegations of involvement or association in unlawful and illegal acts have been levelled against the respondent, (Ms Wambui),” say the petitioners.

The petitioners have been enjoined the Director of Public Prosecution and the Attorney General in the suit for failing to probe Ms Wambui’s alleged criminal activities.

Also named in the suit as respondents are the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and The National Alliance Party (TNA). Ms Wambui wants to vie for the seat on a TNA ticket.

Hearing of the case is scheduled for Monday.