IEBC and NASA lawyers clash, claims that Opposition filed evidence long after deadline surface

Following claims that the Opposition was still filing evidence of the presidential election petition long after the declared deadline, IEBC and NASA lawyers clashed, with one IEBC lawyer, Kamau Karori writing a letter to NASA protesting.

In a letter dated 20^th August 2017, Mr Karori wrote, “Upon inquiring from the Supreme Court, we were advised that you were still filing court documents as at midday today (Sunday). Our client is concerned as to why documents are still being filed way out of time. “

This letter was directed to the law firm representing NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga, Murumba and Awele Advocates.

Lawyers Kamau Karori and Paul Nyamodi, who will represent the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission at the Supreme Court also asked the Registrar of the court to confirm that the documents were being filed long past legal time.

NASA lawyer Paul Mwangi, however, has referred to IEBC protests as sideshows and that they had received no letter from the IEBC lawyers. He also said that the IEBC should focus on preparing its defence.

Mr Karori insisted that the letter was sent and that that the Opposition team had not replied to them.

It is understood that NASA filed four volumes of court papers on Sunday 20^th August 2017, according to The Standard.

Supreme Court registrar Esther Nyaiyaki confirmed that there were documents that were filed on the 20^th of August but mistakenly stamped August 18^th, but that the anomaly was corrected.

Ms Nyaiyaki also wrote that the Supreme Court received two complete sets of 59 volumes of NASA’s petition on the 18th, with a further six volumes being filed on the 20^th of August. In her statement, she also said that as at 21^st august, they were missing one copy of volumes 31, 55 and 56.

Volumes 60,61, 62 and 63 were mistakenly stamped August 18^th 2017 but were presented on August 20^th.