Narok nominated Member of County Assembly (MCA) Alice Chepkirui has suffered a blow after a Nakuru Court of Appeal upheld a judgement by the High Court to nullify her nomination to the seat.
According to a petition filed at the High Court by Josephine Seneiyo Torome, Chepkirui had been nominated for the seat by the Jubilee party but was affiliated with ODM.
Through her lawyer, the petitioner, Torome, argued that the MCA nominee was a registered voter in Nakuru County, vying for a seat in Narok County.
The lawyer further noted that her client challenged Kering's nomination in the gender top-up list and emerged victorious in a ruling by a chief magistrate at the High Court.
“My client Ms. Torome, being the next person in the gender top-up list from the Jubilee Party should be sworn in as the nominated MCA within the Jubilee party list that had been subjected to Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission,” the lawyer stated.
Speaking after the ruling, Chepkirui accepted the outcome, thanking her lawyers for fighting for her and enabling her to come thus far in the case.
“My lawyer has fought hard in this. He wasn’t just fighting for me but also for the whole of Narok County, which is not an easy thing,” Chepkirui stated.
On her part, Torome thanked the court for ruling in her favour, promising to use her position in supporting and empowering women.
“I will do my best to empower my fellow women and the vulnerable children in my community. I am grateful that the seat is coming back to me,” Torome stated.
The High Court in September 2023, threw out an appeal by Alice Kering after a High Court Magistrate nullified a nomination to Narok County.
According to a ruling delivered by Justice Francis Gikonyo, the MCA was neither a member of the Jubilee party at the time she was nominated to the county assembly, nor a registered voter of the County.
Justice Gikonyo further noted that during that time, Kering was a member of the ODM party which nominated her to the Nakuru county assembly between 2017 and 2022.
