Attorney General Kihara Kariuki responds on the presidential petition
Attorney General Kihara Kariuki has responded on the presidential petition filed by Raila Odinga challenging William Ruto’s win.
The eight presidential petitions attempting to invalidate Deputy President William Ruto’s victory in the August 9 presidential election will not be opposed by Attorney General Paul Kihara Kariuki.
In what is seen as political history in the nation, Kihara deviated from the course taken by his predecessor, who opposed the petitions in both the 2013 and 2017 elections.
In a response to one of the presidential petitions submitted by Busia Senator-elect Okiya Omtatah, in which the AG was designated as the 9th respondent, Solicitor General Kennedy Ogeto, who responded on behalf of the Attorney General, confirmed the decision.
“Take notice that the Hon. Attorney General, the 9th respondent herein, pursuant to Rule 11(2) of Supreme Court Presidential Election Rules, 2017 which requires a party to indicate whether they intend to oppose the petition, hereby signifies to the honourable court that he does not intend to oppose the petition,” Ogeto stated in the notice.
The Solicitor General, however, stated that Attorney General Kihara Kariuki would oppose the petition filed by former Gatundu South Member of Parliament, Moses Kuria.
Kuria’s petition seeks the nation’s highest court to reject Raila Odinga and Martha Karua’s attempt to have the results of the presidential election on August 9 challenged by their election appeal.
Kuria also requests that Raila Odinga not be declared the victor of the presidential election on August 9 by the Supreme Court.
Ogeto claims that Kariuki would disagree with Kuria’s petition being heard and decided by the Supreme Court.
In contrast to the former Attorney General Githu Muigai, who opposed such petitions, Kariuki has chosen not to oppose the presidential requests.
In both the 2013 and 2017 presidential polls, Githu opposed two petitions that sought to nullify the presidential election that declared incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta as the winner.
According to the Constitution, the AG can still have a neutral voice in court and only seek to offer legal opinions that could aid in the ultimate judgment of the Supreme Court.
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