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As the Court of Appeal Judges gave their judgement on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) on Friday, there was an unexpected guest who was not part of the learned contingent, a cat.
Justice Gatembu Kairu was reading out his judgement when some journalists spotted a cat that went about its business oblivious of the seriousness of the matter that was being discussed.
The cat appeared a tad bit curious about what was happening at the premise and even paused for a moment as if to ensure it did not miss out on something that was being read out.
Unknown to many, this is not the first time the cat has made a ‘public appearance’. Last year when former Chief Justice David Maraga called for a press conference to air out his frustrations, the grey cat walked across the podium.
Some joked that the CJ had literally let the cat out of the bag.
Prior to that, another curious cat was spotted during a presser by Members of the Political Parties Liason Committee in Kirinyaga County.
The white cat with a patch of black gently sat on the grass right in front of the camera and remained calm throughout the session.
BBI
The Court of Appeal on Friday, August 20 ruled that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s attempt to change the Constitution through the BBI process was unconstitutional.
Appellate judges Daniel Musinga, Roseline Nambuye, Hannah Okwengu, Patrick Kiage, Gatembu Kairu, Fatuma Sichale and Francis Tuiyott declared that BBI was an illegal attempt to alter the structure of the Constitution that cannot be subjected to a referendum.
A majority of the judges ruled that Kenyatta is not legally allowed to initiate changes to the Constitution through the popular initiative, an avenue reserved for the common mwananchi.
Their verdict spelt the end of the road for the BBI reggae, which was viewed as a determinant of the political shape the country would take in preparation for next year’s elections.
