Chief Justice Martha Koome during the presidential petition hearing at the Supreme Court, Nairobi. [David Gichuru, Standard]
The Supreme Court has adjourned a three-day presidential election petition hearing, ahead of a verdict on Monday, September 5.
Chief Justice Martha Koome, in her concluding remarks on Friday, said they will communicate the exact time of the judgement, as D-day nears.
The seven-judge bench has retreated to write the judgements, in a case challenging the declaration of William Ruto as President-elect, following the August 9 polls.
"We will deliver our judgement on Monday, September 5. We shall give you a notice indicating the exact time. I am reminded that Monday runs up to midnight," Koome noted.
Judges had three days since Wednesday to hear petitioners' and respondents' cases, from which they will draw a verdict.
There were nine issues at the centre of the petition, key among them; whether there was interference with uploading and transmission of forms 34A from the polling stations to the IEBC public portal, and whether the declared president-elect attained 50 per cent plus one vote of the votes cast in accordance with Article 138 (4) of the Constitution.
The main petitioners were Raila Odinga and Martha Karua, represented by Senior Counsels James Orengo, Pheroze Nowrojee, Philip Murgor, and Okong'o Omogeni.
William Ruto, the first respondent was represented by Senior Counsel Fred Ngatia and lawyers Prof Kithure Kindiki and Kioko Kilukumi, while Former Attorney General Githu Muigai appeared for IEBC Chair Wafula Chebukati, and lawyers Eric Gumbo and Kamau Karori appeared for the commission (IEBC).
