Deputy President William Ruto and his allies have suffered another blow after the High Court threw out a petition seeking to stop the operationalization of the Political Parties Amendment Act 2022.
In the Wednesday, April 20, the three-judge bench consisting of Hedwig Ongudi, Esther Maina and Daniel Ogembo found that it was not unconstitutional.
They further found that there was an elaborate public participation that led to the amendment of the Act.
They stated that participation started way back in 2017 and took almost four years.
They also pointed out that stakeholders were involved in the various forums which members of the Civil Society attended, and Secretary Generals of all political parties.
The petitioners had told the court that President Uhuru Kenyatta erred by signing the Act into law despite the Bill not going through public participation.
“We find that the public participation that took place before the enactment of the amendment was consultative, meaningful, and reasonable. Therefore, the amendments cannot be nullified on this ground,” the Court determined.
Additionally, the judges asked for patience from members of the public before the full judgment document is released as they stated that there were some typing errors.
Azimio, led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was gazetted on April 14, even as President Uhuru Kenyatta was named as the chairperson of the coalition council.
