Embattled Embakasi East MP Babu Owino loses seat

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino who lost his seat on Friday.  [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Nairobi High Court has nullified the election of Babu Owino as the Embakasi East Member of Parliament.

In the Friday ruling, Justice Joseph Sergon said the election was marred with widespread errors and malpractices.

Justice Sergon directed the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to conduct a by- election for Embakasi East seat in accordance to the law.

The judge further directed MP Babu Owino to pay Sh2.5 million to the petitioner Francis Mureithi and the other Sh2.5 million to the electoral commission.

The legislator however was adamant with the ruling as he expressed his hope in clinching the seat after the by-election.

The ruling comes days after the High Court on February 13 ordered a recount and scrutiny of votes, following a petition filed by Francis Mureithi, his closest rival.

In the report the embattled MP got 46,817 votes against Francis Mureithi who garnered 42,501 votes.

In Mureithi’s petition filed after the August 8 election, he wanted High Court to nullify Emakasi East election claiming that the exercise was marred with violence, intimidation, voter bribery among other electoral malpractices. 

Mureithi told the court the forms were not legible, making it difficult to determine whether the results in Forms 35A corresponded with those in Form 35B.