A case that had been filed seeking to stop Treasury Cabinet Secretary Prof. Njuguna Ndung’u from entering into any agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the budget process without Parliament’s approval has been withdrawn.
Lawyer Kibe Mungai, representing the petitioners, told Justice Lawrence Mugambi that they were withdrawing the case however they might return to court in May this year over the same.
“The oral application to withdraw the petition is allowed, file is closed, and there will be no orders to cost,” the court ruled.
In the case, 20 lawyers and activists, argued that any agreement with the IMF should receive approval from both houses of Parliament and be supported by at least 50 percent of all MPs. The group contended that the IMF’s influence had compromised Kenya’s budget-making process, allowing foreign entities to dictate policy at the expense of the country’s sovereignty in public finance matters.
They also wanted the court to address the legal, political, and policy disputes surrounding the rejection of the Finance Bill, 2024, before Parliament considers President William Ruto’s Memorandum, which was sent to the National Assembly after he declined to assent to the bill
