NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 3 — Chief Justice Martha Koome on Friday said courts are better placed to handle election-related disputes that may arise form the August 9 General Election due to legislative reforms that have brought about efficiency.
Koome singled out the decentralization of the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) and the capping of election appeals among positive reforms.
“Indeed, I can confirm that due to this expansion on the membership of the PPDT, we have had a highly improved experience in determination of pre-election disputes as compared with the experience we had during the previous electoral cycles,” she told newsroom heads during a breakfast meeting in Nairobi.
She also welcomed the capping of the levels of appeals in pre-election disputes as well as election petitions challenging elections of the Members of the County Assembly which cannot proceed beyond the High Court.
“This will enable expeditious determination of electoral disputes and ensure certainty of electoral outcomes. This means that we now have a far improved legal terrain with respect to the resolution of pre-election and post-election disputes compared to previous EDR cycles,” the Supreme Court President said.
Koome also reiterated the Judiciary’s commitment to expedite the hearing and determination of election offences noting she had already gazetted 120 special magistrates to handle such matters.
