The High Court has paused President William Ruto’s order mandating government agencies to obligatory adopt the e-Citizen services platform.
Justice Bahati Mwamuye simultaneously stopped the dismissal of heads of government entities on the grounds of not implementing Ruto’s order.
The judge instructed Kituo Cha Sheria to deliver their application to the AG, CS Treasury, and PS Immigration, who have been named as respondents in the matter. This must be completed by Friday at 5 pm.
Parties will present their arguments on January 31 of the next year,
On November 28, Ruto mandated the Chief Executive Officers of various organizations to integrate into the platform within a week.
The president based this directive on the assertion that CS Treasury had previously issued a gazette notice in 2014.
However, the petitioners – Kituo Cha Sheria and Hillary Mokaya argue that the notices contradict the constitution as they were issued without involving the public and lack the essential legislative framework.
They also argue that Ruto overstepped his authority by demanding the entities to join the platform within one week.
“Ruto’s directive and its enforcement violate the law assigning the proper management of the entities’ affairs to their respective boards, councils, or commissions,” they assert.
They have identified the Independent Policing Oversight Authority as a concerned party in the case, claiming it is not under any individual’s or office’s oversight in performing its duties.
Its independence and integrity, they argue, must be protected.
They have requested the court to issue an order maintaining the current situation and to prevent the removal of CEOs from various entities for not executing Ruto’s directive.
The affected organizations include, but are not limited to, Tana Athi Water Works Development Agency, Kenya Power, various banks, and their CEOs.
Ruto’s publicly broadcast speech faced criticism from around 34 entities for circumventing the eCitizen platform and opting for alternative payment methods, which he argued weakened accountability and fostered corruption.
