[Kenya’s Supreme Court lawyers in a past event. Lawyer Nelson Havi now ranks top five losers in the presidential petition. Photo/Nation]
With the Supreme Court full judgment on nullification of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s victory out, several legal professional may now be fighting to save careers after a series of glories in the past.
Constitutionally, the ruling is unique in its nature given that it was the first time in African continent for elections of a sitting president to be annulled.
Other than IEBC as an institution, a number of lawyers may have been subjected to life time ‘legal oblivion’ after the milestone ruling according to Nelson Havi.
“I think Patrick Lumumba and Ahmednassir Abdullahi are the greatest casualties. They have been respected within various legal disciplines,” he said.
“Further people like Ken Ogeto, Paul Muite and Fred Ngatia also have themselves to blame for failing to give a substantive defense,” he said.
Despite the substantive evidence on anomalies, he says, the lawyers in question failed to given academic and convincing responses on behalf of their clients.
For instance, Ahmednassir and Muite have been giants in the legal field for decades but succumbed to Senator James Orengo, a fellow legal practitioner who was representing Raila Odinga, the petitioner.