President William Ruto has suffered yet another blow after the high court temporarily stopped the sale of KICC and other parastatals pending hearing of case filed by ODM.
In his ruling, Justice Chacha Mwita said upon perusal of the application by ODM, he was satisfied that the petition raises substantial constitutional and legal issues of public importance that require critical examination and consideration by the court.
“A conservatory order is hereby issued suspending implementation of section 21(1) of the Privatization Act 2023 and or any decisions made pursuant to that section, until 6th February 2024 GIVEN under my hand and seal of the Honourable court this 4th Day of December 2023,” the order reads.
Other parastals in the list include Kenya Pipeline Company, Kenya Literature Bureau and Kenya Seed Company among others which the president had said would be privatized by assenting to the privatization bill 2023.
In their case, ODM through lawyer Jackson Awele argued that the said companies can only be privatized with the consent of the people through a referendum.
“This is so because they form part of the sovereign wealth of Kenya with significant cultural and strategic importance to the public,” reads court papers.
ODM further questioned by the state was in a hurry to sell the said assets with no credible reasons given to justify their rush.
Awele argues that neither the public or ODM was given a reasonable and meaningful opportunity to comment on or contribute to the said bill before it was passed into law.
