Top legal minds will be facing off in Kenya presidential poll petition that was filed by Azimio la Umoja One Keny- Coalition party presidential candidate Raila Odinga on Monday, August 22, at the Supreme Court.
Both the Kenya Kwanza Alliance and the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Coalition party have lined up the country’s top legal minds for the do-or-die battle pitying Raila on one side against Ruto, IEBC, and its chairperson Wafula Chebukatu on the other side.
Siaya Governor-elect James Orengo, Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo, Phillip Murgor, Tom Ojienda, and Paul Mwangi are part of the team being considered to invalidate Wafula Chebukati’s declaration of William Ruto as the fifth President-elect.
On his side, William Ruto is eyeing his chief agent and outgoing Tharaka Nithi Senator Kithure Kindiki, lawyer Katwa Kigen, and President Uhuru Kenyatta’s former lawyer Fred Ngatia to defend his victory at the Supreme Court.
Having represented President Kenyatta in three presidential election petitions (2013 and two in 2017) at the Supreme Court, Ngatia, who has 41 years of experience in legal matters comes with long experience in handling presidential petitions.
The senior counsel helped President Kenyatta win a case filed against him and the IEBC by Raila Odinga following the disputed March 4, 2013, presidential election.
Ngatia, who was admitted to the Roll of Advocates in 1980, once again represented President Uhuru Kenyatta on August 8, 2017, in the presidential election which was also contested by the then National Super Alliance (NASA) presidential flag bearer Raila Odinga.
This time around, however, the President’s legal team lost the case.
In the petition filed at the Supreme Court registry, the veteran lawyer will be representing President-elect William Ruto who has bitterly fallen out with his long-time client President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Ngatia holds a Master of Applied Philosophy and Ethics from Strathmore University (2019), Master of Laws from London School of Economics, University of London (1984), Bachelor of Laws from the University of Nairobi (1979), and Post Graduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law (1980).
