The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) of the National Assembly has announced that it will file a petition seeking all court cases against the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to be dropped.
Speaking over the weekend, JLAC Vice Chairperson Mwengi Mutuse announced that the National Assembly will be moving to court to request the court to throw out the cases.
Mutuse further claimed that the process of reconstituting the IEBC has been captured by individuals not keen on a functional electoral body.
”We have seen a lot of foul play where some people have been going to the court so that the reconstitution of IEBC can be delayed. This has been done with the intent of shifting the blame to the government,” Mutuse claimed.
William Ruto made his maiden speech at the Bomas of Kenya after the former IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati announced him President elect on August 15, 2022.
William Ruto
”We will go to court, even for me as a lawyer, to petition the court so that we pave the way for the reconstitution of the IEBC,” he added.
The lawmaker also challenged those opposing the reconstitution process of the electoral body to declare their hidden agendas.
”We want to announce that going forward, for those orchestrating that play, you must declare your intentions because we want IEBC to be very ready,” Mutuse urged.
Mutuse’s calls come amid the growing number of court cases challenging the constitution of the IEBC even as the 2027 general elections near.
Justice Lawerence Mugambi of the High Court on Friday dealt the process another blow when he made a ruling that declared the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Amendment Bill 2023 unconstitutional.
In his ruling, Justice Mugambi referred to the lack of public participation when formulating the act as the grounds to annul laws.
The ruling meant that all the processes that had been arrived at including the agreement between President William Ruto and Raila Odinga emanating from the National Dialogue Committee Report(NADCO), be redundant.
In February 2023, President Ruto appointed a seven-member selection panel, two weeks after declaring the commissioner positions vacant.
Ruto signed the IEBC (Amendment) Bill 2022 into law in January 2023, which required the Selection Panel to have representatives of the Parliamentary Service Commission, the Public Service Commission (PSC), the Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC), the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), and the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya.
High Court Judge Lawrence Mugambi.
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