President Uhuru Kenyatta's meeting with Jubilee Party leaders at State House, September 26, 2017. [Photo|PSCU]
President Uhuru Kenyatta, alongside his Deputy William Ruto held a meeting with elected Jubilee Members of Parliament of the Senate, and National Assembly, Tuesday.
During the meeting at State House Nairobi, the lawmakers agreed to ensure amendments of the electoral laws in Parliament, with aims to scrap the electronic vote tally transmission system and replace it with a manual system.
This follows a successful presidential petition by Opposition NASA, that saw Uhuru lose he re-election, in the August 8 polls, after Supreme Court nullified, citing massive irregularities and illegalities.
According to Jubilee, Supreme Court judges, led by Chief Justice David Maraga, colluded with the Opposition (NASA), to anull his victory, and so, the court should lose some powers, through the amendments.
In the planned amendments Jubilee lawmakers want to introduce a clause that will see Chief Justice and his/her, lose the legal powers of swearing-in the president, as it currently is.
Instead, Jubilee wants the powers of swearing-in the president, be granted to any Supreme Court judge, contrary to Section 141(1) of the Constitution. It states that "The swearing in of the President elect shall be in public before the Chief Justice, or, in the absence of the Chief Justice, the Deputy Chief Justice."
NASA is however opposed to the amendments.
The meeting came two-days after former Kakamega senator, Boni Khalwale said Jubilee Party plans to swear-in Uhuru Kenyatta, in case NASA, fails to participate in the fresh October presidential election.
NASA has warned that unless the IEBC implements its irreducible minimum demands, such as sacking CEO Ezra Chiloba, and his team, it would not participate in the election.According to him, Jubilee would pick Supreme Court's Justice Njoki Ndung'u, to swear Uhuru in, contrary to the Constitution.
Njoki, and Justice Jackton Ojwang are the two judges who ruled in favour of Kenyatta, during releasing of the petition verdict, September 1."Those advising the president, are misleading him. They are saying that if there will be no election, they will take Njoki, to go and swear-in Uhuru," said Khalwale, during a campaign rally at Kawangware, Sunday.He further warned that Uhuru should abide the Constitution, and that if Njoki swears him in, Chief Justice David Maraga would swear-in Raila Odinga, the Nasa presidential candidate.