Fourth President Uhuru Kenyatta can breathe a sigh of relief after the High Court declared unconstitutional a law restricting retired presidents from engaging in active politics.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Justice Bahati Mwamuye on Monday, September 21, ruled that a retired president is not barred from engaging in active politics.

According to the court, it is unlawful for the law to control the private life of a private citizen.

“The person thereafter stands in a fundamentally different constitutional position: he or she is a private citizen,” the judge said in the ruling.

📌 What You Need to Know

The ruling comes days after another court barred retired presidents from holding positions in a political party six months after retirement.

Delivered on Monday, September 14,  the court ruled that former Heads of State can continue participating in political activities but cannot hold party leadership positions beyond the six months.

According to Justice Lawrence Mugambi,  the restriction does not violate the rights to freedom of association, political participation, or equality.

Mugambi's ruling was reaffirmed by Justice Mwamuye, who also held that once a President ends their term, they cease to exercise the coercive and executive authority of the State and must therefore cease to hold a position in a political party.

Following the September 14 ruling, Uhuru said he would hand over leadership of the Jubilee Party.

However, the former Head of State maintained that the ruling was not a restriction on his political life, but an affirmation of Kenya's democratic institutions.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke