Thursday July 25, 2024 – Just after forming a Government of National Unity with ODM Leader Raila Odinga, President William Ruto and his Deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, now face a real danger.
This is after 14 Kenyans filed a
petition at the High Court in Nairobi, seeking orders to pave the way for a
referendum to oust Ruto and Gachagua from office.
In their case, the petitioners
argued that the president and his deputy had violated the constitution by
allowing extrajudicial killings of the anti-government protesters by police
officers.
The President was also
faulted for ordering the deployment of military officers against
protesting civilians, which the petitioners argued was unconstitutional.
"In a constitutional
democracy, there can be no justification for the President to deploy the Kenya
Defence Forces (KDF) to prevent unarmed citizens," the petitioners argued.
“This Petition seeks judicial
intervention to prevent the current socio-political crisis from spiraling out
of control and to preserve the constitutional order."
The petitioners warn that the unresolved economic crisis
following the withdrawal of the Finance Bill could quickly push Kenya toward a
state collapse similar to Sri Lanka, Lebanon, or Sudan.
Ruto was also accused of
labelling and demeaning the protestors as saboteurs, treason mongers, and
faceless anarchists despite agitation for a better Kenya.
The petitioners thus demanded
the court's directive to authorize a referendum to oust President Ruto and his
deputy through a popular vote.
A plea was also made to the
court to quash the agreement reached between President Ruto and US President
Joe Biden to make Kenya a non-NATO ally of the US.
The petitioners further demanded
a directive for the withdrawal of the military officers from the streets during
the anti-government demonstrations.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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