Karungo Thang’wa out as IEBC tribunal rejects his petition

Blow to Kiambu Senate aspirant Karungo Thang’wa after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC)’s Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) dismissed his complaint.

A judgement delivered by the committee’s chairman George Murugu dismissed the complaint and upheld the decision by the county Returning Officer to block him from contesting for the senatorial seat.

The committee held that the Returning Officer acted within the law by declining to clear Karungo on account that he had been removed from public office and the fact that he presented himself for nomination outside the gazetted timelines.

“The committee uphold the decision of the Returning Officer in declining to nominate Karungo and the complaint is hereby dismissed,” Murugu ruled.

Further, the committee noted that indeed Karungo was removed from office and all orders restraining the said removal have since been vacated.

“For clarity, Karungo was not impeached but removed from office by the resolution of the Kiambu county assembly. The removal stands, ” Murugu ruled.

Karungo through his lawyer Ng’ang’a Mbugua has lodged a complaint at the committee scoffing at claims by the IEBC that he is ineligible because he was impeached from office on alleged gross misconduct.

Lawyer Mbugua had explained that his client was neither impeached nor removed from office and that decision of the IEBC is erroneous.

“IEBC’s decision was based on an erroneous impression that Karungo was removed from office after a purported resolution of the county assembly. We have put evidence to show that he was never removed from the office,” lawyer Mbugua said.

He had argued that he ceased to work as a member of the Kiambu County Government Executive Committee following impeachment of former governor Ferdinand Waititu in January 2020.

Although the County Assembly resolved to have him removed from office in November 2019, the committee heard that the then governor Waititu refused to act on that resolution.