The political landscape in Kenya has been shaken as two Members of Parliament from the Orange Democratic Movement Party had their elections nullified on Friday, March 3.
The Malindi High Court in Kilifi County nullified the election of Magarini MP Harrison Garama Kombe due to various irregularities, such as vote stuffing and inconsistencies in vote tallies.
A fresh election was ordered to allow the constituency’s voters to duly elect a new representative.
Similarly, the High Court in Garissa nullified the election of Lagdera MP Abdikadir Hussein following a challenge by his competitor in the August 2022 polls.
The challenge was based on the claim that Hussein was not a Kenyan citizen and thus ineligible for election.
Four voters had also moved to court to challenge Hussein’s win.
The court’s verdict means that ODM could lose two MPs in the National Assembly, which would be a continuation of a streak where the Azimio coalition yielded numbers to the rival Kenya Kwanza Coalition.
The nullifications come at a time when both sides of the political divide are preparing for upcoming bills and amendments forwarded by President William Ruto.
The proposals include the creation of a Senate Oversight fund and the number of nominated MPs in parliament.
These amendments are expected to ignite a fierce debate between the two factions.
It remains to be seen what the fallout of the nullifications will be and how the fresh elections will play out.
