Wajackoyah now on the spot over UK citizenship status

Questions have been raised about Roots Party leader Prof. George Wajackoyah's British citizenship.

Former presidential candidate Peter Gichira has written to the British High Commission seeking clarification on Wajackoyah's citizenship to the UK.

Mr. Gichira, in a letter obtained by Citizen Digital, cites Prof. Wajackoyah's recent announcement that he previously attempted to run for a parliamentary seat in the UK where he lived as a refugee.

To be eligible to vie as an MP in the United Kingdom, a person must be at least 18 years old and a citizen of the United Kingdom, a Commonwealth country, or Ireland.

On the other hand, to qualify to run for the presidency in Kenya, IEBC says one must firstly be a Kenyan citizen by birth who does not owe allegiance to a foreign state.

They also must not hold dual citizenship, says the commission on its website, “unless citizenship of the other country has been obtained by operation of law without capacity to opt out.”

It should be, however, noted that Kenya is a member of The British Commonwealth.

Mr. Gichira, through his lawyers, sought to know whether Prof. Wajackoyah was actually a British citizen, and if so, if he had renounced his rights in order to be eligible to vie for Kenya’s top seat.

“We write on behalf of our client to get clear clarification on whether the above-named candidate is a British Citizen, and if so, has he renounced such citizenship rights?” read the letter.

​​He added that Article 78 (1) of Citizenship and Leadership states that a State Officer or a member of the defence forces should not hold dual citizenship.

He further quoted the Article which stipulates that the aforementioned clauses do not apply to any person who has been made a citizen of another country by operation of that country's law without the ability to opt out.

“Your urgent and considerate assistance shall be highly appreciated noting the strict timelines with which the upcoming elections are to be held and the ballot papers ought to be printed in advance,” added Mr. Gichira.