NAIROBI, Kenya – A former driver of Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata has taken the governor and the Senate to court, accusing them of unlawfully listing him as a petitioner in a case linked to the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash.
Through lawyer Suiyanka Lempaa, David Mburu Karanja claims his name was included without consent in a Senate petition concerning the lack of support for families of victims of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302, which killed all 157 people on board.
Karanja is seeking court orders to restrain Kang’ata and the Senate from using his name in connection with the petition, which was filed on June 19, 2019.
He also wants the respondents compelled to produce all records, including the full list of petitioners, for verification.
“Pending the hearing and determination of the application, the Court be pleased to issue a conservatory order restraining the respondents… from relying upon, referencing, or making use of the petitioner’s name emanating from the impugned Senate petition,” Karanja states in court papers.
‘No family ties to victims’
Karanja insists he had no relation to any of the crash victims and was unaware of the petition, which he argues violated his right to fair hearing and damaged his reputation.
“The petition was submitted and deliberated on by a Senate Standing Committee without my knowledge, participation, or consent,” he argues.
In his filings, Karanja recalls that on November 11, 2024, the Senate received a letter questioning how his name and those of seven other former employees of Governor Kang’ata appeared in the petition.
He claims the Senate’s response only worsened the misrepresentation, suggesting that he and others had taken part in deliberations—an assertion he denies.
‘Evasive responses’
Karanja says he has written to several institutions, including the Commission on Administrative Justice, but has received “inadequate, evasive” responses that downplay the alleged misrepresentation.
He further accuses Kang’ata of contradicting himself, noting that while the governor distanced himself from the petitioners in a written response, Senate records show he acknowledged knowing them personally and advising them to file the petition.
“This discrepancy raises serious concerns of misrepresentation and abuse of office and parliamentary privileges that warrant urgent judicial scrutiny,” Karanja states.
He now wants the High Court to certify his case as urgent, arguing that resolving the matter is in the interest of justice and the public good.
