A five-judge bench has given the Jubilee Alliance some reprieve after it ruled that Uhuru Kenyatta who is the coalition's presidential candidate and his running mate William Ruto are free to seek any elective seat in 4th March Kenya elections

The judges ruled that the high court does not have jurisdiction to hear matters on qualification or disqualification of presidential aspirants. With Kenyatta and Ruto facing charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court, the judges ruled that only the Supreme Court has the exclusive and original jurisdiction to determine their eligibility to vie for any elective position.

The ruling also added that since Kenya’s election commission had already passed Kenyatta and Ruto as fit to stand, any ruling “would end up usurping” the powers of the commission.

With little time left before the March 4 election, the ruling effectively clears the way for Kenyatta to contest the polls, in which he is seen as one of the leading candidates for the country’s top job.

AEP

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