[Justice Isaac Lenaola in a past event. His vote is said to have saved Raila Odinga’s petition. Photo/Nation]
Opposition leader Raila Odinga’s political era may have crumbled were it not Supreme Court judge Isaac Lenaola, claims former Law Society of Kenya CEO Apollo Mboya.
IEBC declared Uhuru Kenyatta the winner of August 8 only for a six bench judge to nullify the election on grounds that it failed to meet constitutional thresholds.
And with justice Mohammed Ibrahim rendered ill, a tie would have led to automatic upholding of IEBC declaration.
“It is Lenaola who tilted the case. He was the only person without a preconceived thought about the case and that was evident,” he says.
He adds:” Should he have cast his vote in favour of IEBC, we would have ended with a tie and Odinga would have lost.”
Sources say that CJ David Maraga, DJC Philomena Mwilu and Justice Smokin Wanjala had made a decision to nullify the results. With Njoki Ndung’u and Jackton Ojwang dissenting, Lenaola was the man to decide the fate of the case.
Reports by Sunday Nation indicate that a section of Jubilee officials tried to influence Lenaola but all in vain. His vote in favour of Odinga meant that Kenya will hold another election in two months.