Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development Alice Wahome.

📋 Breaking It Down

The High Court has dismissed a petition by an activist accusing Housing Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome of alleged corruption, procurement irregularities and human rights violations in the implementation of the Affordable Housing Programme (AHP), the Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme (KENSUP) and the Southlands housing redevelopment project.

Justice Patricia Nyaundi dismissed the petition, finding that Francis Awino had presented a wide range of serious allegations without evidence to substantiate them.

The judge described the petition as lacking in supporting evidence and troubling, faulting the activist for making grave accusations against Ms Wahome without providing material to demonstrate the alleged violations.

📌 What You Need to Know

“Upon a careful reading of the pleadings, it becomes immediately apparent that the Petitioner made no effort whatsoever to substantiate the grave allegations levelled against the Respondent,” the court said.

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Justice Nyaundi said the court could not be expected to search for evidence that a litigant had failed to present.

“The Court cannot chase shadows; constitutional litigation demands disciplined presentation, not rhetorical flourish. It is therefore disconcerting, indeed unacceptable, that the Petitioner placed before the Court nothing more than unadorned accusations, expecting the Court to stitch together a case from silence,” she said.

The judge added that constitutional petitions are serious undertakings that require evidence to support claims of violations.

Among the allegations, Awino claimed that Wahome had irregularly acquired a mansion in Karen, Nairobi.

📰 Source: Nation Africa