RUTO’S ELIGIBILITY TO RUN FOR PRESIDENCY HANGS IN BALANCE

Deputy President William Ruto is still in office despite his interest in the August 9 presidential election.

Omtatah moved to the High Court in Nairobi seeking clarification on sections of the Elections Act which requires civil servants to resign six months before participating in elective politics.

The activist saw it unfair for the law to apply only to public servants while having those elected continue serving even with their declaration to vie for elective posts.

Besides Ruto, Omtatah’s petition in court targets National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi and Murang’a governor Mwangi Wa Iria all of whom have declared their interests in vying for positions in the August 9 general election.

Omtatah wants the aforementioned directed to resign from their current positions ahead of the nominations in their respective political outfits and the clearance by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Voters in court to block Ruto’s bid
This came barely a month after three voters filed a petition at Kisumu High Court seeking to have Ruto barred from contesting in the oncoming election.

The trio wants the court to declare Ruto’s office as inseparable from the Office of the President, which is limited to two, 10-year terms.

Identified as Peter Alaro, Cornel Otieno Onyango, and Ali Otula Sule, the petitioners argued that the constitutional limitation of the presidency to two terms warrants an automatic retirement of the deputy president alongside his boss.

According to them, the deputy president cannot vie for any elective post after the lapse of the presidency in which he has served.

Sourced from tuko