Dead on Arrival: MPs Reject Petition Seeking to Bar Deputy President William Ruto from Running for Presidency

Members of Parliament have shot down a petition seeking to block Deputy President William Ruto from running for the Presidency in 2022.

The petition was presented before the August House by Kisumu Central residents through their MP Fred Ouda. The petition also sought to bar Deputy Governors who served two terms from vying for the Governor's seat in subsequent elections.

The petitioners argued that Deputy President's term runs concurrently with that of the President and that the two positions fall under the Presidency. They submitted that Ruto had exhausted the two five-year term spelt out in the constitution for the President and should therefore not run in 2022.

“The election of the president and his deputy are intertwined. They both derive their authority directly from the electorate and as such they are only eligible to hold the office of the presidency for a maximum of two five-year terms,” read the petition.

"The individual is barred by the Constitution from vying or occupying the position of president or the position of DP for any further term. The two is one ticket. The purposive interpretation of the Constitution will therefore lead to no other conclusion than the DP position is elective,” stated the petitioners.

The same case applied to Deputy Governors, the petition further submitted. On Thursday, MPs rejected the petition even before it was tabled before National Assembly's Justice and Legal Affairs Committee. This is despite Speaker Justin Muturi's efforts to have it heard.

MPs led by Majority Leader Aden Duale and Minority Leader John Mbadi dismissed the petition saying it was misplaced.

“He is trying to say the DP will not contest in 2022. This is a wild dream. Ruto will be on the ballot in 2022. This House should not be used for such matters,” said Mr Duale.

“We have important things to do. They tried to introduce age limits to bar Raila Odinga from contesting now they are on Ruto.”

Mbadi said Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) had nothing to do with the petition and that Outa tabled it in his personal capacity as Kisumu Central MP. "ODM is not scared of anyone. Outa is working on his own,” said Mbadi.