Friday, July 26, 2024 ––Lawyers and civil societies have ganged up against the newly-nominated Cabinet.
In a petition filed in court today Friday July 26, it is argued that nominating the opposition in government positions would undermine the role of opposition in the country owing to the fact that opposition is recognised by the Kenyan Constitution.
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The petition, therefore, seeks to stop the appointment of opposition-allied leaders John Mbadi, Hassan Joho, Opiyo Wandayi and Wycliffe Oparanya into William Ruto’s new Cabinet.
Julius Ogogoh through Commission for Human Rights and Justice, argues that appointment of the four into the Cabinet will conflict with the opposition’s Constitutional mandate of oversighting the government.
“Given the fact that the Interested Parties as members of the official opposition coalition in the National Assembly has a constitutional duty to oversight the function of the Executive and other arms of the government, the nomination and appointment of the Interested Parties into the cabinet and/or government as secretaries shall conflict with their constitutional duty bestowed upon the opposition party by the people of Kenya and the constitution to oversight the government and to provide checks and balance.
“The Petitioners and the entire citizenry of Kenya stand to suffer great prejudice and a violation and infringement of their constitutional Rights as this amounts to utter violation of the constitution of Kenya and betrayal of the trust bestowed upon the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Alliance (coalition) and the Orange Democratic Party by the people of Kenya,” reads the petition in part.
Additionally, a different petition was also today filed under Certificate of Urgency to block the same nominations.
According to the petitioner, Saitabao Ole Kanchory, should 14-newly nominated CSs get to office, this would interfere with Kenya’s multiparty democracy.
“I have this afternoon filed a Constitutional Petition and Application under Certificate of Urgency challenging the nomination for appointment as CS of 14 of the 20 nominees on grounds, inter alia, that it amounts to mongrelization, bastardization and cannibalization of our multiparty democracy and a gross violation of the Constitution,” he argued in his court papers he has shared with section of the media.