Nominated Senator Millicent Omanga has mocked President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga after the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court’s BBI bill judgment which declared the plan to amend Kenya’s constitution illegal.
Taking to her Twitter, Omanga said President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Handshake partner need to bow down in shame for championing an illegal course.
“The president and former prime minister must bow down in shame,” she said hours after the 7-judge bench at the Court of Appeal delivered their judgment.
The nominated senator, an ardent supporter of Deputy President William Ruto further said the Head of State and the former Prime Minister owe Kenyans an apology for the threats and the boastful attitudes the two exhibited on Kenyans over the Building Bridges Initiative bill.
“The arrogance, threats, and boastful attitude they exhibited on BBI has come back to haunt them. They owe us an apology. Kudos Court of Appeal for defending the rule of law,” she said.
On Friday, August 20, the 7-judge bench unanimously declared the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2020 unconstitutional, illegal null, and void.
The seven appellate court judges included Daniel Musinga, Fatuma Sichale, Gatembu Kairu, Hannah Okwengu, Roselyn Nambuye, Patrick Kiage, and Francis Tuiyott.
Five out of 7 members of the Court of Appeal upheld that the BBI process was unconstitutional, dealing a blow to Raila Odinga, President Uhuru Kenyatta, and their supporters who were eager to have Kenya’s 2010 constitution amended through a referendum.
Justices Musinga, Gatembu, Kiage, Okwengu, and Tuiyot upheld the High Court’s decision, while Justices Nambuye and Shichale dissented.
The majority of the five judges who halted the ’BBI Reggae’ said the President cannot initiate Constitutional change through popular initiative because he does not fall under the category of the ‘general public.
“Popular initiative is citizen-conceived and driven,” Justice Patrick Kiage ruled on Friday “It must be initiated by the ‘common mwananchi’, not the President.”
Speaking shortly after the reggae was halted; Raila Odinga conceded the defeat and asked promoters of the bill to move on but would revisit after the 2022 General Election.
“It is likely that this is not the end of the conversation and the parties involved will each make their own decisions on how to proceed from the decision that has been delivered today,” he said.
