The High Court has dismissed a petition seeking to bar National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula and his Senate counterpart Amason Kingi from engaging in political activities ahead of the 2027 General Election.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

In a ruling delivered at the Milimani Law Courts on Thursday, July 23, Justice David Mburu found that the petitioners had failed to first lodge a complaint with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) over the alleged violations of the Constitution and relevant integrity laws.

The court held that the petition was premature, ruling that the petitioners had not exhausted the available legal mechanisms before moving to court and had not demonstrated any grounds to justify bypassing the statutory process.

Justice Mburu further upheld the respondents' preliminary objection, finding that it raised a valid legal question on whether the court had jurisdiction to hear the matter at that stage.

📌 What You Need to Know

Additionally, the court found that the petitioners had not established how Wetang’ula and Kingi had breached provisions of Chapter Six of the Constitution, the Conflict of Interest Act or the Leadership and Integrity Act.

The judge consequently declined to consider the request for conservatory orders that would have restricted the two speakers from participating in or being linked to political events.

The petitioners accused the two Speakers of breaching constitutional leadership and integrity requirements by allegedly taking part in partisan political activities in support of President William Ruto’s 2027 re-election campaign.

Wetang’ula had opposed the petition, arguing that he remained entitled to constitutional rights and freedoms applicable to all citizens while holding a public office.

Kingi and Wetang’ula further challenged the petitioners’ claim that the orders sought were in the public interest, arguing that no harm had been demonstrated to justify court intervention.

The dismissal leaves the two speakers free from the restrictions sought by the petitioners , who must now pursue other available remedies through the prescribed statutory complaint mechanisms.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke