The Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) has issued an interim order stopping President William Ruto from appointing a panel to pick the electoral agency’s commissioners until a dispute over a nominee is resolved.
The order was issued following a petition on a dispute involving Mr Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper party and the National Liberal Party (NLP), both Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition affiliates, over a nominee to the nine-member panel.
In the orders issued on Wednesday, PPDT granted Mr Augustus Muli of NLP his prayers of prohibiting the coalition from forwarding the name of Ms Koki Muli for appointment by the President.
Party Leader of National Liberation Party (NLP) Augustine Muli (right) and his Secretary General Omondi K'oyoo addressing journalists at Boulevard hotel.
Photo credit: File | Nation
The matter has been listed for mention on August 15 for further direction. This means the country will have to wait longer before the hiring of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners can begin.
In the application, Mr Muli accused Azimio of replacing his name with that of Ms Muli of Wiper, even after he won the elections conducted by IEBC.
“Unless this tribunal issues an interim order to prohibit the 1st respondent (Azimio) from forwarding the names of its nominees, which includes the name of Amb. Koki Muli, for appointment to the selection panel, the complainant will be greatly prejudiced as he is the duly elected nominee,” Mr Muli said in his petition.
“In the interim, prayers number 2 and 3 of the application dated 31st July 2024 are hereby granted pending inter partes hearing of the application. Mention for further directions on 15th August 2024,” PPDT ordered.
Under the Political Parties Liaison Committee, the majority coalition, minority coalition and non-parliamentary parties were to pick a nominee each.
Mr Evans Misati was elected to represent non-parliamentary parties, while Mr Nicodemus Bore was picked to represent the majority party.
For the minority, Mr Muli of NLP was voted in, defeating Wiper’s Ms Muli. But the opposition coalition is said to have replaced Mr Muli with Ms Muli.
Wiper had managed to convince Janet Mwema of Chama Cha Uzalendo, which is associated with Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti, to drop out in favour of Ms Muli. Efforts to prevail upon Mr Muli to also drop out, however, failed.
An ODM official told the Nation that small parties in Azimio ganged up against Ms Muli over an opinion piece in one of the local dailies in which she had opposed the inclusion of more parties in the selection panel. The opinion piece was published during the life of the National Dialogue Committee (Nadco) which expanded the panel from seven to nine.
“It is because of the NADCO that PPLC now has three slots. She had argued that it should not be opened up for more political parties. So the argument was that why should she benefit from something that she had opposed,” said the official.
