Court Blocks Uhuru Party Nominee for Kajiado North By-Election

The High Court has stopped The National Alliance Party (TNA) from presenting its nominee to the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission for the Kajiado North by-election.

Justice Alfred Mabeya issued the orders on Friday after a candidate, Francis Gitau Parsimei, went to court seeking to stop the nomination of Moses ole Sekuda. He named Mr Sekuda and the IEBC as interested parties.

Sakuda won with 16,130 votes to defeat Parsimei, who came second with 1,677. Joseph Manje who had, however, dropped out of the race came third with 19 votes.

The seat fell vacant following the death of Internal Security Minister George Saitoti on June 10 following a helicopter crash. The crash also killed Saitoti’s assistant minister Orwa Ojode and four others. The by-election is set for September 17.

It is to be held alongside that of Kangema and Ndhiwa in Central and Nyanza provinces.

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On Friday, Parsimei told Justice Mabeya that the exercise was not conducted in a transparent manner because most of those who voted for Sekuda were not TNA members.

He also argued he was denied an opportunity to participate in the nomination as there was “blatant contravention of the Political Parties Act and the Constitution.”

Justice Mabeya ruled that pending the hearing and determination of the petition, IEBC should not receive Sekuda’s nomination papers. Parsimei, through his lawyer Rose Mbanya, had further argued the exercise was a mockery of the electoral process.

Source: The Standard