Thirdway Alliance says it is not behind a petition challenging BBI
The Thirdway Alliance Kenya has distanced itself from a petition challenging the legality of the Constitution of Kenya Amendment Bill 2020, popular as the BBI Bill.
The Bill is currently a subject of deliberation by the Parliament’s Justice and legal affairs committees and whose findings are expected to be tabled before the two Houses early next month.
The Alliance’s Secretary-General and spokesperson Fred Okango said the party had long withdrawn its petition against the BBI Bill and was not in any way part of an ongoing amalgamated petition involving eight groups keen to stop the process from proceeding to the next stage.
“The notice of withdrawal from petition E400 was successfully filed by the first petitioner Thirdway Alliance Kenya at the Constitutional and Human Rights Division Registry on February 16 2021.” Okango said in a statement to newsrooms Tuesday evening.
The party wondered why it was still being associated with the petition when it had in fact instructed its lawyer Elius Mutuma to pull out of the matter. Okango maintains that Thirdway officials are in possession of a letter confirming the party’s withdrawal from the case.
“We would therefore want to disassociate ourselves as Thirdway Alliance Kenya with any application filed in court in regards to petition E400 of 2020and related matters.” The party added.
Okango further said the petition being heard by a five-judge bench is aimed at putting breaks into the march to a popular initiative by expanding the BBI interim court orders issued against the Independent Electoral and boundaries commission IEBC.
“We understand that that the supposed application is seeking to stop the bicameral speakers from forwarding the Constitution of Kenya Amendment Bill 2020 to the President.” He noted
In the petition currently before the court, and which among others involves the Law Society of Kenya LSK, the applicants have criticized the manner in which the BBI Bill was transmitted to the counties for adoption insisting it did not follow the due process.
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