Reuben Kigame wants Supreme Court to nullify August 9 polls

In the petition filed at the Supreme Court of Kenya on Monday, Mr. Kigame lists the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) as the first respondent and IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati as the second respondent.

The gospel musician, who was also in the race to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta before the electoral body locked him out of the race,  wants the Supreme Court to render the entire exercise “null and void”.

Kigame says IEBC put in place “unreasonable deadlines” for presidential aspirants to submit the copies of identity cards of at least 48000 registered voters in order to be cleared to run, thereby locking out some aspirants.

“My dream together with that of other Independent aspirants in exercising our civil and political rights got into jeopardy as a result of the unreasonableness and discriminatory actions by the 1st respondent,” he states in court documents seen by Citizen Digital.

While citing other regulations the Wafula Chebukati-led commission put in place as requirements to be cleared to run for the country’s top seat, Kigame terms it an “apparent denial by [IEBC] and [Mr. Chebukati] to have him on the presidential ballot.”

Kigame is a member of the National Council of Persons Living with Disability and he submits that his human rights were violated “by the impugned acts of the Respondents.”

On top of declaring the entire election as null and void, he also wants the court to issue an order for costs in his favour. 

He adds: “The Honourable Court be pleased to issue any other or further remedy that it shall deem fit to grant in the interests of justice in the circumstances of this Petition.”

Other petitioners who have so far petitioned seeking to nullify the election results are Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition presidential candidate Raila Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua.

In the presidential results released last Monday by Chebukati, Odinga came in second with 6,942,930 votes, behind Kenya Kwanza Alliance’s William Ruto.

Dr. Ruto garnered 7,176,141 votes, representing 50.49 percent.

Monday, August 22, was the deadline to file petitions against the results. The Supreme Court is now set to give its verdict on the issues raised within 14 days.