Union seeks to stop President Uhuru’s ceremony

By WILFRED AYAGA

Kenya: A case has been filed at the High Court seeking to stop President Uhuru Kenyatta from presiding over the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the standard gauge railway scheduled for this morning.

The Dock Workers Union and two other petitioners – Twalib Bwajuma Mwinyifaki and Khalid Hussein Mwinyi – want the ceremony halted on grounds that the Government violated procuring and tendering rules for the construction of the railway line.

Consequently, Justice George Odunga has issued orders directing the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Transport to file a response to the application by today 8am.

Justice Odunga asked State Counsel Emmanuel Bitta to ensure that the principal secretary gives a response before the ceremony commences, failure to which the court may issue orders halting its progress.

Already, several heads of State have been invited to grace the ground-breaking ceremony.

The petitioners have sued the Minister for Transport, the Managing Director of Kenya Railways Corporation and the Managing Director of Kenya Ports Authority over what they say was a blatant violation of the public Procurement and Disposal Act.