Chief Justice Martha Koome has appointed a three-judge bench to hear a case challenging President William Ruto’s expanded Cabinet.
The bench, comprising Justices Eric Ogola, Jairus Ngaah, and Stephen Githinji, will handle the petition filed by lawyer Saitabao Ole Kanchory and Julius Ogogoh.
The suit, filed in the Malindi Court, contests the nomination of 14 cabinet secretaries who have already taken office, with Kanchory arguing that their appointments violate the constitution due to integrity concerns.
Notable cabinet members named in the case include Wycliffe Oparanya (Co-operatives), Ali Hassan Joho (Mining and Blue Economy), and Davis Chirchir (Roads and Transport), among others.
The case is set to scrutinize the eligibility of these appointees.
“A Cabinet Secretary is an appointed state officer and shall, therefore, not hold office in a political party. A Cabinet Secretary shall not be a member of Parliament,” the petition read in part.
Julius Ogogoh through the Commission for Human Rights and Justice filed a petition to halt the appointment of leaders from the Orange Democratic Party (ODM). In the petition, Ogogah argued the appointment of the four into cabinet will conflict with the opposition’s Constitutional mandate of oversight of the government.
Previously, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) wrote to parliament requesting Oparanya’s approval as minister cooperative to be halted due to a graft case levelled against him during his tenure as Kakamega governor.