Kenya’s Attorney Appeals Government Overhaul Ruling at Top Court
Kenya’s Attorney Appeals Government Overhaul Ruling at Top Court
(Bloomberg) -- Kenya’s attorney general appealed against a judgment that last month stopped the process of potentially changing the nation’s constitution ahead of next year’s general election.
The appeal at the East African nation’s Supreme Court challenges eight findings by a seven-judge bench, which faulted the president’s role in calling for constitutional changes. The Appeals Court said that the plan was “unconstitutional and a usurpation of people’s exercise of sovereign power.”
The case is about proposals backed by President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga to amend the constitution to expand the executive in what they said would help end ethnic violence during elections. The two men said that a bigger government would create room for more positions, including that of prime minister, and share power more equitably among the country’s more than 40 ethnic groups.
Attorney-General Kihara Kariuki disagrees with the Appeals Court ruling and wants it reviewed, according to a statement emailed by the Judiciary on Friday.
The proposals were criticized by some politicians including Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, who said they were part of a plan to hurt Deputy President William Ruto in his bid to succeed Kenyatta at the elections scheduled for August 2022. The relationship between Ruto and Kenyatta has deteriorated since his boss reconciled with Odinga after a bitterly contested vote in 2017, with the latter reported to be ey3ing the top seat again.
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