You're now a temporary president!' Wanjigi tells Ruto after High Court election date ruling

Safina party leader Jimi Wanjigi has declared that President William Ruto will become a "temporary president" from Tuesday next week following the High Court ruling on Friday that Kenya's next General Election should be held on August 11, 2026 and not 2027.

Addressing the media on Friday, Wanjigi welcomed the court's decision, describing it as a victory for the Constitution and crediting Safina deputy party leader and constitutional lawyer Willis Otieno for spearheading the legal and civic campaign on the election date.

"This is a great day for the Constitution of Kenya, and we as Safina party, want to give a great thank you to the High Court that has upheld our Constitution, and to the excellent work of our deputy party leader Willis Otieno," Wanjigi said.

"He has been excellent in court. He tried to do civic education to Kenyans the last one year. He even sought discussions with IEBC who ignored him, and now today we have a Constitutional victory that we must be thankful about as Kenyans."

The remarks came hours after the High Court ruled that the Constitution requires the presidential election to be held on the second Tuesday of August in the fifth year, effectively placing the next General Election on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, rather than in 2027.

In a judgment delivered in Malindi, Justice Mugure Thande, however, suspended the implementation of the ruling until after the 2027 General Election.

Wanjigi insisted that while the court had put in place a temporary framework to avoid a constitutional vacuum, it had not extended President Ruto's term in office.

"Let me say, William Ruto, your time is up. On Tuesday, you become nothing more than a president that has been given mandate by a court because of logistical issues, nothing else," he said.

"Your term is over as of Tuesday, you have now just been given a template by a court, your term has not been extended."

The Safina presidential candidate further argued that Article 134 of the Constitution, which outlines the powers exercisable during a transition period, should now govern President Ruto's conduct.

"That means, if we're to read the Constitution, Article 134 describes a temporary president for such a circumstance, and there are various things you can and cannot do," Wanjigi said.

"So do not pretend you can make any decisions on our behalf any more. You cannot pretend to have a national dialogue; you have no legitimacy, William Ruto, you cannot even fire a minister or appoint a new officer after Tuesday – we shall challenge you."

The High Court ruling stems from a constitutional challenge that argued Article 136 requires presidential elections to be held "on the second Tuesday in August, in the fifth year," with petitioners maintaining that this places the next poll on August 11, 2026.

The interpretation has been championed by constitutional lawyer Willis Otieno for more than a year.