Editor's Review

Somane who grew up in a family of ten possesses credentials from the Havard School of Law.

In the course of the presidential election petition hearing at the Supreme Court, lawyer Mahat Somane became centre of attention owing to his submissions that many found to be magnificent.

The lawyer was appearing for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) which Raila Odinga and Martha Karua accuse of having bungled presidential election.

Somane became the talk of the town thanks to his elocution and composure while arguing on behalf of the elections management body.

He accused the petitioners of having doctored forms 34A to use in defending their case against the commission.

Somane, at one point, changed the courtroom into a classroom as he took the members of the court through IEBC numbers.

"The court already pronounced itself on the issue of the 50%+1 vote. Deal with it! It's over!" Somane hit back at Raila Odinga and Martha Karua who claimed that Ruto did not attain the required threshold to be declared President Uhuru Kenyatta's successor.

"No one can upload Form 34A, not even Wafula Chebukati. They are only transmitted from the KIEMS kits from the polling stations and that's the end of the story," he added.

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Lawyer Mahat Somane was appearing for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEBC) in the 2022 presidential election petition.

Unknown to many, Mahat is an established attorney. He features among the accomplished briefs in Kenya.

At 28, he co-founded a law firm that supports start-ups to navigate legal hurdles as a means of resolving unemployment.

He an alumnus of the University of Nairobi from where he graduated win 2005 with Bachelor of Law.

He yet again achieved another academic milestone in 2007 after attaining a Post Graduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School, paving the way for his admission to the bar.

He later enrolled for a Masters's Degree in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, graduating in 2010.

Somane attained another Masters's Degree in Law (Corporate Law and Governance) from Harvard Law School in 2011.

“Being in a position to give back is wonderful. Coming from a community that has grappled with marginalisation and ostracism instilled in me a drive to pursue a career that would fulfill my quest to be a part of the needed change for my community,” Mahat told Business Daily in a past interview.