A total of eighty-eight top-notch lawyers will represent parties involved in the seven consolidated petitions presented to the Supreme Court by among others, Kenya’s doyen of opposition politics Raila Amollo Odinga.
Chief Justice Martha Koome.
It will be the 4th time that Raila is disputing the outcome of a presidential election in court. Any person willing to file a presidential petition in court must pay KES 1 million as security for costs and an additional KES 500,000 for filing.
This is the first time that the seven-judge apex court will be sitting down to determine matters affecting the Executive under the presidency of a woman, Chief Justice Martha Koome.
The main protagonists in the fourth presidential petition since the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution are Azimio la Umoja One Kenya presidential candidate Raila Odinga, President-elect William Ruto, and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). The Attorney-General Mr. Paul Kihara has also been named as a defendant.
Main protagonists in the 2022 petition: Raila Amollo Odinga (left) alongside William Samoei Ruto (right).
In 2017, the Supreme Court overturned the election result and ordered a rerun, which Odinga boycotted, saying he had no faith in the electoral commission.
The Azimio legal team is led by Senior Counsel and Siaya Governor James Orengo, Senior Counsel Philip Murgor, Mr. Paul Mwangi, Mr. Jackson Awele, and Ms. Velma Auma.
Some of the top-notch lawyers arrive for a pretrial conference on Tuesday 30 August at the Supreme Court of Kenya.
Deputy President William Ruto, who was declared President-elect, has a legal team led by Senior Counsel Fred Ngatia, Prof Kithure Kindiki, Senior Counsel Kioko Kilukumi, Mr. Katwa Kigen, Mr. Elias Mutuma, Mr. Muthomi Thiankolu, and Mr. Adrian Kamotho.
The Supreme Court has 14 days from the date of the filing of the petition (22 August 2022) to hear the petition and decide.
