NAIROBI, Kenya, May 24 – The Supreme Court has amended rules for the presidential petitions hearing in preparation for disputes after the August 9 elections.
In a gazette notice signed by Chief Justice Martha Koome, the apex court warned litigants, advocates and advocates agents against expressing their opinions on the petition until a judgement is delivered.
According to Koome, failure to observe this will result in their action being tantamount to contempt of court.
“Shall refrain from expressing their opinion on merit, demerit or predict the outcome of the petition in any manner that would prejudice or impede Court proceedings, until judgement is delivered,” Koome stated.
This comes weeks after Koome singled out a section of senior lawyers over their comments on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) appeal proceedings at the Supreme Court.
The court expressed their disappointment saying their actions amounted to intimidation, aimed at influencing and tainting the courts image.
Lawyers Ahmednasir Abdullahi, Nelson Havi and Esther Ang’awa are among the listed lawyers who expressed their opinions on social media.
“In the course of writing this judgment, the court observed with concern some commentaries carried out in the social media by some counsel, some of whom are appearing in this matter,” Koome said.
CJ blasted the Ahmednasir, Havi and Angawa over a series of comments he made on twitter on February 8 and 15 and March 29.
According to the law, a person who is convicted of contempt of court is liable to a fine not exceeding Sh200,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to both.
