A petitioner who challenged the nomination of Anne Kananu Mwenda as Deputy Governor for Nairobi County is now seeking to withdraw the case, clearing way for Kananu’s ascension into the post.

The petitioner sought to withdraw the case on Tuesday through a notice after one year frustration of Ms. Kananu’s nomination.

Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko had nominated Ms. Kananu as the Deputy Governor in January 2020, but the High Court blocked her vetting after the petitioner Peter Agoro moved to court to challenge Sonko’s legality in nominating Ms. Kananu.

At the time of the nomination, an Anti-Corruption court had ordered Sonko to be blocked from accessing his office. As such, he deemed unfit to perform such official duties.

Before she was nominated, Ms. Kananu was Nairobi’s Disaster Management and Coordination Sector Chief Officer.

Constitutional expert and lawyer Githuo Gathogo says Ms. Kananu’s ascension to the seat is still uncertain.

“Even though the nomination stands after the petitioner’s withdrawal, the County Assembly will still have to vet her. She can survive the vetting or not,” says Gathogo.

If successful, Ms. Kananu will become the Deputy Governor for Nairobi, annulling the election that had earlier been slated for February 18, but was on Monday suspended by the High Court.

The Nairobi election would be a hotly contested one as it would measure strength between the political protagonism fronted by the Deputy President William Ruto, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and the Jubilee party.