PLO Lumumba Fired

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has dropped lawyers Paul Muite and Patrick Lumumba who represented it during the presidential petition filed in the Supreme Court in August.

IEBC made the move after losing the petition filed by the National Super Alliance (NASA) leader Raila Odinga which saw the Supreme Court nullify the election.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the commission disclosed it had appointed a group of eight lawyers who will represent it in petitions filed to challenge the October election.

The new lawyers include Waweru Gatonye, Kamau Karori, Eric Gumbo, George Murugu, Wambua Kilonzo, Kimani Muhoro, Mahat Somane and Lucy Kambuni.

[caption caption="IEBC Lead Counsel Waweru Gatonye"][/caption]

Mr Gatonye will be the lead counsel taking Muite's position while Mr Karori will take Lumumba's position as the lead counsel's substitute.

The newly appointed lead counsel, Gatonye has worked at the office of the Attorney General before he rose to become a deputy to the then Director of Public Prosecutions.

While Karori represented the IEBC and its Chairman in a petition filed before former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga challenging the presidential election in 2013. 

The lawyers will represent the IEBC in the new petitions challenging the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta that were filed by former Kilome MP Harun Mwau and activist Okiya Omtatah.

[caption caption="PLO Lumumba at the Supreme Court"][/caption]

People criticized the legal prowess of the two lawyers arguing that it was not exhibited in the petition with Paul Muite claiming that the IEBC servers were in Europe and that their service providers had not woken up as a reason for the commission not giving access to servers as was directed by the courts.