The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) in collaboration with the African Judges and Jurists Forum has sent a delegation of jurists to observe Supreme Court proceedings during the hearing of the presidential petition filed by the National Super Alliance (NASA).
The Trial Observation Mission (TOM) which includes the immediate former Zambian Chief Justice Ernest Sakala, Justice Moses Chinhengo from Zimbabwe and Justice Key Oagile Dingake from Botswana will meet with Chief Justice David Maraga and all parties involved in the petition before hearings commence.
Other members of the delegation are Human Rights Lawyers Martin Masiga from Uganda and Brian Penduka from Zimbabwe.
“The purposes of the meetings are to introduce the trial observation process to the parties and make them aware of the process and its modalities,” ICJ-Kenya Executive Director Samwel Mohochi said in a statement.
He added,“The eminent jurists will also review the socio political climate in the country prior to the petition and will attend all the hearings of the presidential petition.”
Mohochi further stated that the Mission will make it clear to both the petitioners and the respondents that the hearing will be under scrutiny in order to encourage “adherence to human rights standards and the rule of law in the entire process.”
The Jurists are expected to issue a report at the end of the trial in accordance with international best practices.
The respondents who include President Uhuru Kenyatta, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati are expected to file their replies to the petition by Thursday midnight.
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