Garissa Township Member of Parliament Aden Duale ‘s survival in the election petition challenging his win in the August General election is good news for President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto.
Duale has been one of the strongest pillars of the Jubilee government. His immense contribution towards the success of Uhuru’s term has been evident since he was re-elected as the National Assembly Majority leader. The lawmaker pitched tents in different parts of the North Eastern region during the August election and October rerun to ensure Uhuru retains power.
The Jubilee side would have thought of a replacement had the court called for a by-election and Duale lost the seat to his competitor, Farah Maalim. In her ruling, Judge Hedwig Ongundi said that there is no sufficient evidence that can compel her to nullify the election of the Duale.
Maalim had told the court that the elections were marred by all sorts of illegalities and irregularities that saw him lose in one of the most watched contests. He alleged that there was voter bribery, but told the court that he did not see Duale or any of his agents dishing out money to voters in person.
“I did not see the bribery or anyone being bribed, however, I saw a crowd negotiating," Maalim told the court during his submissions.
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