Former Nairobi County Governor Mike Sonko dragged Azimio La Umoja Leader Raila Odinga to Court for declaring Monday, March 20, a Public Holiday.
In a petition filed before Lady Justice Hedwig Ong'udi, Sonko argued that Raila had broken the law since he did not have such powers to declare a Public Holiday.
In response, Justice Ong'udi noted that Sonko's petition was of national interest and could not be dismissed prematurely.
"I have perused the Petition, Notice of Motion and the Certificate of Urgency all dated March 17, 2023. I have noted that the same were filed at 4:05 pm and the file placed before me at 4:30 pm," Justice Ong'udi observed.
The Judge further noted that there was a laid down procedure for the declaration of Public Holidays in Kenya.
"I have perused the pleadings and annexures and have not found any Gazette Notice by the Cabinet Secretary in charge of Interior declaring March 20, 2023, a public holiday as per Section 3 of the Public Holidays Act," Lady Justice Ong'udi noted.
The Judge then ordered Sonko to serve Raila and the Office of the Attorney General, who are interested parties.
Ong'udi further ordered that the matter be mentioned on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, a day after Raila's slated mass action.
On Tuesday, March 14, the opposition leader Raila Odinga unlawfully declared Monday a Public Holiday for his supporters to attend the much-hyped mass action.
Raila asked Azimio La Umoja supporters to attend the grand anti-government march in Nairobi to compel President William Ruto to act on a raft of demands.
Among the issues that Raila advocated for included lowering the high cost of living and electoral reforms at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Raila claimed that the Kenya Kwanza administration mismanaged the economy by withdrawing the subsidies that cushioned ordinary citizens from high food prices.
However, President William Ruto dismissed Raila's demands on Wednesday, March 15, noting that the planned protests were a desperate attempt to cause chaos.
