Kenya: Kenyatta blasts Supreme Court over poll nullification

21 Septembre 2017

NAIROBI, Kenya, September 21 (Infosplusgabon) -  A few hours after the Supreme Court outlined its reasons for nullifying the August 8 Presidential polls, President Uhuru Kenyatta Thursday blasted the Judiciary, describing it as a setback to democracy.

On September 1, the Supreme Court, whose president Justice David Maraga, is also Kenya's  Chief Justice, nullified the presidential poll, citing massive irregularities, especially in the transmission of results. He directed that a fresh presidential poll be held within 60 days.

The now-discredited Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had declared incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta winner with 54 percent against key opposition challenger, Raila Odinga's 44 percent.

Kenya, 55, seeking a second 5-year term, flew the Jubilee Party flag, while Odinga, 72, was the opposition coalition - National Super Alliance (NASA) - flagbearer. Odinga filed a petition at the Supreme Court.

Fundamentally, they found IEBC failed in its constitutional duty to verify the results by going ahead to declare a final result and winner, before receiving scans of a significant number of result forms from the polling stations (Forms 34A).

In  a nutshell, the election did not meet the constitutional threshold, the court ruled.

President Kenyatta and his allies have blasted the Supreme Court, since it overturned the results, prompting the Chief Justice to ask the politicians and the executive to stop intimidating the Judiciary.

A furious Maraga, said the Judiciary will not be intimidated by other arms of government, it will continue discharging its duties without fear or favour, reminding its critics that it's an independent arm government that does not pander to whims of the other  arms.

''We are' ready to pay the ultimate price," he said a few days ago.

Kenyatta, addressing a political delegation that paid him a courtesy call at State House, Nairobi, Thursday, said the ruling by the Supreme Court was inconsistent with the spirit of the constitution which Kenyans passed in 2010.

“What happened is a judicial coup,” President Kenyatta said. “We have a constitution which has placed the interests of wananchi (the people) far above those of individuals.

Apparently angered by the cancellation of his victory,  Kenyatta said that when Kenyans passed the new constitution, they wished their will to prevail, and not that of a few individuals.

“As Kenyans, we have witnessed what has never happened in any democratic country in the world,'' said President Kenyatta.

The increasingly bad blood between the executive and the judiciary, two of the three arms of government, does not augur well for the country. The fresh poll is set for October 26.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/EST/GABON 2017

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