Activist Okiya Omtatah has swiftly reacted to President Uhuru Kenyatta's decision to nominate his lawyer as chair of the National Land Commission (NLC).
Gershom Otachi Bw'Omanwa's name was forwarded to the National Assembly for vetting by President Kenyatta on Monday, August 19, to take over from the embattled former NLC boss, Muhammad Swazuri.
Omtatah has moved to the High Court seeking orders to stop the National Assembly from vetting Otachi and eight individuals nominated to serve as commissioners.
"Being improperly constituted, the selection panel lacks the capacity in law to recruit the Chairperson and members of NLC.
"Hence, all that it has done is invalid, null and void," Omtatah argued.
Omtatah outcried that the selection panel that oversaw the recruitment was not properly constituted.
In the petition filed at the Employment and Labour Relations Court, the activist further wants the selection panel to be disbanded.
He argued that it was formed unconstitutionally and that Uhuru overlooked certain acts within the NLC.
Otachi has undertaken international legal assignments and represented clients before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania and The International Criminal Court (ICC), The Hague in The Netherlands.
He successfully represented General Hussein Ali and participated in the defence of Uhuru in ICC.
