Uhuru, Ruto integrity case certified urgent

By Lucianne Limo

The High Court has certified as urgent a suit filed by a lobby group seeking to bar presidential aspirants Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto from contesting elective posts.

Justice David Majanja yesterday ruled that he would not issue any other interim orders until he hears the other parties in the case.

The judge directed the petitioners to serve the respondents and appear before him on Wednesday for interparte hearing.

The International Centre for Peace and Conflict (ICPC) had gone to court on Friday seeking interpretation of Chapter Six of the Constitution on Leadership and Integrity.

Specifically, the petitioner wants the court to find Uhuru and Ruto unfit to contest the presidency or any other position due to their cases at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Their case lists Uhuru and Ruto as respondents alongside the Attorney General and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

Filed petition

The two were not parties in the previous petition filed in January by three political activists Charles Omanga, Patrick Njuguna and Agostino Neto (now Ndhiwa MP).

They had just applied to be enjoined as interested parties when it was withdrawn by the petitioners on Thursday.

In September, the petitioners amended the case to include the names of Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi, and Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka.

They raised questions about their suitability for public office over varying allegations ranging from abuse of office, nepotism and corruption, among others.

But judges Isaac Lenaola, Mohamed Warsame and Philomena Mwilu rejected the amendments leaving only Uhuru and Ruto’s names in the original suit.

The petitioners then opted to withdraw the case on Thursday, preparing to file it again to include the three other aspirants.