The High Court in Kisumu has dismissed a petition by three Kenyans seeking to compel the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to announce presidential election results within seven hours.
High Court Judge David Majanja ruled that there exists a constitutional provision that gives a clear time frame when presidential election results must be announced, according to capitalfm.co.ke.
According to Majanja, the court has got no jurisdiction to give IEBC direction or compel it, since it is an independent body.
The judge says the court found no basis that the fundamental rights and freedoms of the petitioners have been violated.
In the petition, Titus Alila, Jackline Otieno and Francis Ogada wanted the court to give clear guidance on the duration between the closure of voting an when the presidential results should be declared.
Blow to Nasa as Court of Appeal overturns ballots ruling
The petitioners’ lawyer Ken Amondi said the petitioners will not appeal the court’s decision.
The latest ruling comes days after the High Court dismissed another petition seeking to have IEBC compelled to electronic voter identification and postpone the election instead of resorting to a manual back up.
The Opposition Nasa also suffered a set back after its bid to stop Duba-based Al Ghurair from printing presidential ballot papers was rejected by the Court of Appeal.
