George Luchiri Wajackoyah

George Luchiri Wajackoyah is a legal practitioner based in Nairobi, Kenya and an independent political campaigner. Wajackoyah was also a presidential candidate in Kenya's 2022 General Election held on 9 August 2022. He was running under the Roots Party of Kenya which supports the legalisation of bhang in Kenya. He skipped the 2022 presidential debate that was held on 26 July 2022 on grounds that the organisers refused to embrace he's preferred format for the debate; having all the four presidential candidates debate at the same time other than dividing it into two parts; first part with the least popular candidates according to opinion polls where wajackoya was to face off with Wahiga Mwaure and the second for the top contenders Raila Odinga and William Ruto. Wajackoyah in a statement cited the format as a bias by the media houses organising the debate.

He first announced he wanted to run for the presidency in the 2012 general elections but withdrew from the race without explanation. Wajackoyah is also the founding partner o
Luchiri & Co. Advocates
and has practiced law for at least 25 years.

Wajackoya's running mate in the 2022 presidential elections was Justina Wamae.

Wajackoya only got 51 votes in his Indangalasia Primary School polling station in Matungu Constituency, Kakamega County while his opponents Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto managed 799 and 109 votes respectively.

Early life

Wajackoyah was born in the village of Indangalasia near Mumias, Western Kenya. His date of birth is given variously as 24 October 1959, (age 63 as of 2022) Uganda at some time in 1960 or 1961 at St Mary’s Hospital in Jinja. His tribe belongs to Luhya. His Father was called Tito Olilo Jakoya and his mother was called Melenia Makokha. He was abandoned at 16 years following his parents divorce and ended up as a street boy in Nairobi before a well-wisher came to his rescue and paid his secondary school fees.

Education

Between 1969 and 1975, George Wajackoyah studied at the local primary school in Busia township. Between 1976 and 1979, he studied for his O-Levels at the City High School in Nairobi and thereafter went on to study for his A-Levels between 1980 and 1981.

After high school, Wajackoya also graduated as a police officer after studying policing and criminal investigation at Kenya Police Training College in Kiganjo.

He allegedly has 17 degrees including the following academic qualifications:

*1990 – Diploma in French, University of Burundi
*1996 – Bachelor of Laws (Hons), University of Wolverhampton
*1997 – Certificate in Comparative Laws/Master of Laws, University of London (SOAS)
*1998 – Masters of Laws in Law in Development, University of Warwick
*1999 – Certificate in Refugee and Business Law, World University Service (Retas)
*2002 – LPC (2000-2001), University of Westminster
*2006 – Master of Laws (U.S. Law), University of Baltimore
*2006 – Honoris Causa, American Heritage University
*2014 – Post Graduate Diploma in Law, Kenya School of Law    
*2018 – Ph.D. Candidate, Walden University
*2020 – MPhil, Walden University
*2020 – Post Graduate Diploma Student, University of Nairobi

Career

Wajackoya is also a law lecturer at United States International University (USIU).

Politics

In June 2022, George Wajackoyah was cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to be a candidate for the Roots Party of Kenya in Kenya's Presidential Election held on 9 August 2022 .

Controversies

Legalization of marijuana in Kenya

Wajackoyah has been vocal about legalizing marijuana in Kenya for economic use. He included it in his manifesto saying it will help Kenya manage its ballooning debt. According to the advocate, his government will earn Ksh 3 billion per 1000 acres from growing and exporting marijuana to a readily available market in the US.

Snake farming

Wajackoyah has said he will promote snake farming so that the venom can be used for medicinal purposes and to promote agriculture.

In June, 2022, the Roots Party presidential candidate launched his manifesto, touching on a 10-point agenda. Wajackoyah said that his priority would be to engage in activities that can generate enough income for Kenya in a bid to clear her public debt, which is almost hitting Ksh 10 trillion.

Exporting dog meat

Wajackoya also mentioned that if elected as President, he will ensure Kenya starts exporting dog meat, saying that that a kilogram of dog meat costs six times more than the price of a kilogram of goat meat.

Petition

Wajackoya's controversial utterances have seen a petition filed in court to block him from running for presidency on grounds of "mental soundness".

Alleged murder of Dr. Robert Ouko

Wajackoyah is also the source of the 'Shot in State House' theory regarding the murder of John Robert Ouko, Kenya’s Minister of Foreign Affairs who was shot dead near his farmhouse in Koru, Western Kenya, February 13, 1990.

Mental Health

In July 2022, a Kenyan lawyer, Benard Okello, filed a petition in court to have Wajackoya barred from running for the 2022 general elections on grounds of being "mentally unfit".

Bernard Okello in his petition alleged that Wajackoya's conduct at times puts into question his soundness of mind, adding that his conduct is likely to bring disrepute to the office of the president.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wajackoyah, George
Living people
20th-century births
Year of birth uncertain
Kenyan political people
People from Kakamega County
Candidates for President of Kenya
Cannabis activists