A group of people living with disabilities outside the Eldoret Law courts on September 5, 2017. [Photo/JKhisa]
An Eldoret court had declined to issue orders stopping the swearing in ceremony of nominated Members of County Assembly (MCAs) in Uasin Gishu.
A group of over 500 people living with disabilities had moved to court seeking to stop the MCAs' swearing in ceremony on claims that the Jubilee party leaders at the county had colluded to give advantage to preferred candidates.
Through their lawyer Moses Keter, the group wanted the court to give orders that the MCAs were not properly elected.
"Most of those nominated MCAs whose names were gazetted by the IEBC are friends and relatives of Uasin Gishu governor Jackson Mandago and due to this fact the court should stop their swearing in and order for fresh party nominations," Keter told the court.
However, Eldoret Chief Magistrate Charles Obulutsa declined to grand orders to stop their swearing in noting that currently there's no court gazetted to handle election matters in the county.
"The matter before me falls under Elections act and legally can only be handled by a court specifically gazetted for elections cases which we don't have now," Obulutsa noted.
"The elections courts will be gazetted in the next few weeks and once that is done this case can proceed. All is not lost as this court can still give orders even if the MCAs are sworn in," he added.
The matter will now be mentioned on September 19.