The Presidential debates slated for July 10th and 24th could be stopped if the court grants the wishes of one of the Presidential candidates.
Alliance for Real Change presidential candidate, Mohammed Abduba Dida has moved to court seeking to stop the debates arguing that the exercise is discriminatory.
In his petition, Dida stated that the presidential debates' guidelines were "discriminatory, in bad faith and were contradicting the Constitution of Kenya".
He claimed that his rights had been violated as he was being treated as a second class presidential candidate under the guidelines.
He added that all presidential candidates ought to be given the same status when they outline their visions for the country during the debates.
“A declaration that all presidential candidates are equal with regards to articulating their manifestos and during such public debates,” Dida urges in his submission.
The candidates are required to meet some criteria before being allowed to participate in the debates.
According to the organisers - the Debates Media, a consortium of several Kenyan media houses - the Presidential candidates who would be invited must command at least five percent popularity in opinion polls.
If the guidelines by the consortium are anything to go by, President Uhuru Kenyatta and National Super Alliance (NASA) flag bearer Raila Odinga are the only automatic participants of the event.
President Uhuru Kenyatta had already indicated that he could miss out in the debate slated for July 10 due a conflicting schedule.
Read Also: Why Uhuru Could Miss The 2017 Presidential Debates
