Karungo wa Thang'wa: Mike Sonko comparisons unfair

Former Kiambu County Youth CEC member Karungo wa Thang’wa. [File, Standard]

Karungo wa Thang’wa, who is eyeing Kiambu senatorial seat in August 9 polls, maintains he wasn’t impeached on gross misconduct allegations like Mike Sonko, the former governor of Nairobi County.

On July 7, the High Court ordered the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to clear Karungo to run for Senate seat after being locked out over claims that he’d been impeached for abuse of office.

Speaking on Spice FM on Wednesday morning, July 13, Karungo said comparing his situation to that of Mike Sonko could jeopardise his chances of victory in the August 9 General Election.

“I wasn’t happy when Sonko’s case was being mentioned in the same sentence as mine. That, in essence, made people to look at us the same way,” he said.

“Here I was – someone who many people in Kenya had not heard of – being compared to Sonko, who had been removed from office on gross misconduct allegations. What does that do to my senatorial bid?” he posed.

He said that Kiambu MCAs only “attempted” to remove him from office over claims that he had embezzled county funds during his tenure as the Youth County Executive Committee member.

Civil society groups had moved to court to block Karungo and Sonko from running for office, arguing that the two had been impeached for breaching Chapter Six of the Constitution which touches on integrity of civil servants.

Karungo was removed from office in November 2019, while Sonko was ejected in December 2020.

The two have since been given the greenlight by the courts to vie in the upcoming elections.

Sonko, who is challenging his impeachment at the Supreme Court, is eyeing Mombasa governorship on a Wiper Party ticket.