A petition has been filed in court seeking to block the appointment of four prominent members of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party to cabinet positions in President William Ruto’s government.
The petition, submitted by the Executive Director of the Commission for Human Rights and Justice, Julius Ogogoh, aims to prevent John Mbadi, James Wandayi, Hassan Joho, and Wycliffe Oparanya from assuming roles as cabinet secretaries.
The petitioner argues that the appointment of these opposition leaders to ministerial positions would undermine the crucial role of the opposition in Kenya’s democratic system. As stated in the petition,
“The nomination and appointment of the Interested Parties into the cabinet and/or government as secretaries shall conflict with their constitutional duty bestowed upon the opposition party by the people of Kenya and the constitution to oversight the government.”
Key Positions
The legal action comes in response to President Ruto’s recent announcement of his second batch of cabinet nominees, which included the four ODM members for key positions:
– John Mbadi – nominated for Treasury
– Opiyo Wandayi – nominated for Energy and Petroleum
– Hassan Joho – nominated for Mining
– Wycliffe Oparanya – nominated for the Ministry of Co-operatives
Mr. Ogogoh contends that allowing opposition members to join the government would create an imbalance in Kenya’s political landscape and potentially infringe upon citizens’ constitutional rights. The petition seeks an immediate halt to the vetting process for these nominees, stating,
“It is thus fair and just that the matter be heard on a priority basis and the orders sought to be granted to protect the constitution from its violation by the Respondents.”
Hassan Joho and Wycliffe Oparanya are Raila Odinga’s deputies in ODM whereas John Mbadi is the ODM chairman. Opiyo Wandayi, who is also the Ugunja MP is the Minority leader in parliament and ODM secretary for political affairs.
This legal challenge presents a significant obstacle to President Ruto’s recent efforts to form what he described as an “inclusive” and “broad-based” government.