Ann Kananu displays oath of office documents after being sworn as deputy governor at KICC grounds Nairobi on January 15, 2021. [File, Standard]
Ann Kananu will take oath office as Nairobi Governor on Tuesday morning.
A Gazette Notice issued on Monday shows that Kananu will take oath at 10am at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
Kananu has been acting Governor since December 2020 following the ouster of former governor Mike Sonko.
Her path to succeeding Sonko was cleared on November 9 after the Supreme Court dismissed an application by the latter challenging her appointment.
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The apex court ruled that they have no jurisdiction to entertain the suit, lifting earlier orders they issued stopping the swearing-in of the new governor.
“The court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the appeal given that his main appeal at the Court of Appeal challenging his impeachment has not been heard,” ruled the judges.
The Supreme Court decision marked the end of the road for Sonko who launched a legal fightback not only to stop Kananu from succeeding him but also to quash the proceedings that lead to his impeachment in December last year.
In January 2020, Sonko nominated her as his deputy and forwarded her name to the County Assembly for vetting.
However, before the assembly could vet her, a Nairobi resident challenged the nomination which led to a court order stopping the assembly from vetting and approving her nomination.
Kananu remained in the cold until December 18 last year when Sonko was impeached and the court lifted the order that barred the assembly from vetting and approving her nomination.
She was subsequently vetted, approved, and sworn-in as deputy governor but as she was preparing to take over as governor, Sonko moved to the High Court and obtained orders stopping the oath.
High Court dismissed the application and set the stage for Kananu’s swearing-in as governor.
The judges ruled it was Sonko to blame for his mistake when he nominated Kananu only to purport to revoke the nomination when he had already been impeached.
They also dismissed Sonko's petition challenging his impeachment, ruling that both the County Assembly and the Senate complied with all statutory provisions for impeaching a governor.
