TIFA: Sakaja maintains lead in Nairobi governor race with 40%
Nairobi gubernatorial candidate Johnson Sakaja would win the August polls if the elections were held today, a new survey by TIFA has revealed.
With only 48 days to the August 9 elections, the poll indicates that the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party candidate is leading in popularity at 40 per cent followed closely by his main challenger Polycarp Igathe of Jubilee at 32 per cent.
TIFA, in a statement on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, said Sakaja has more female supporters at 41 per cent as compared to Igathe's 24 per cent.
"There were no major differences in the support for two candidates by age group," TIFA said.
According to the study, 28 per cent of voters in the city are undecided.
Regarding the gubernatorial and senatorial contests, the former is now a much closer race than it was two months ago, with Senator Johnstone Sakaja of UDA only slightly ahead of his main opponent, Jubilee’s Polycarp Igathe (40% vs. 32%)#TIFANairobiPolls pic.twitter.com/gLUyrDjsKb
— TifaResearch (@TifaResearch) June 21, 2022
The firm conducted 632 interviews across all the 17 constituencies in Nairobi. The survey's margin of error was plus or minus 3.8 per cent.
Sakaja has maintained a seven per cent lead margin having garnered 23 per cent in May against Igathe's 15 per cent.
Further, the poll shows that a majority of Nairobi residents (36%) do not believe that Sakaja has a valid university degree amid the raging debate on his academic qualifications. Only 29 per cent of the voters believe Sakaja's degree from Team University in Uganda is genuine.
Sakaja's degree saga
The legislator was given a green light to vie by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Sunday, June 19.
IEBC's Dispute and Resolution Committee dismissed a petition challenging the authenticity of Sakaja's degree certificate, saying it lacks jurisdiction to determine the validity of the document.
" This committee lacks the jurisdiction to investigate the authenticity of the degree of Sakaja. We, therefore, dismiss the complaint," the George Murugu-led committee ruled.
While dismissing the complaint by Dennis Gakuu, the committee stated that the returning officer discharged his mandate by the law and the complaint lacks merit.
"The IEBC lacks tools to investigate and undertake inquiries into the validity and legitimacy of academic certificates and credentials supplied to it by various political candidates but merely acts in trust on the face value of the documents," the committee ruled.
Gakuu had argued that Sakaja never graduated from the Team University in Uganda as he claims.
Through lawyer Paul Nyamodi, the voter told the tribunal that the claims that Sakaja holds a valid university degree are false.
"Sakaja cannot be cleared to view based on a forged degree certificate and is therefore liable for criminal Prosecution for forgery and fraudulent misrepresentation," Gakuu said.
