NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 8 — Three Cabinet Secretaries are among twelve senior government officials who have resigned to seek elective posts in the August election, ahead of Wednesday’s deadline.
They include Charles Keter who quit the Devolution docket to seek the gubernatorial seat in Kericho, Adan Mohamed who resigned from the EAC docket to contest the Mandera gubernatorial seat and John Munyes who is going for the same seat in Turkana.
Seven Cabinet Administrative Secretaries have also resigned from President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government to seek elective posts.
They include Patrick Ntuntu (Labour), Joseph Boinett (Tourism), John Mosonik (Petroleum and Mining), Wavinya Ndeti (Transport), Ken Obura (East African Community), Hassan Noor Hassan (Education) and Gideon Mung’aro (Devolution).
Fred Segor has also resigned as Wildlife Principal Secretary.
George Natembeya was the first to resign as Regional Commissioner for Rift Valley to vie for Trans Nzoia gubernatorial seat.
Any government official participating in the August 9th election is required to resign by tomorrow in line with the Constitution.
While announcing his resignation Tuesday, Munyes said: “The people of Turkana are waiting for me because my next assignment God willing is to run for the seat of governor in Turkana. Turkana is facing a lot of problems,” he said.
Munyes explained that he was moved to join politics to address the challenges being faced by the residents in Turkana that including poverty, lack of water and resources.
Keter on his part said, “I am resigning to focus on contesting for the seat of Kericho Governor. I have the vision and commitment to grow the economy of Kericho, and to transform Kericho to become a model of success.”
Cabinet Secretaries are among government officials required under the Election Act to resign six months to an election if they wish to present themselves as candidates.
More resignations are expected especially after the Court of Appeal upheld provisions of the Elections Act requiring public officials holding appointive offices to resign six months to an election before seeking elective office.
The decision was rendered by Justices Daniel Musinga (President), Wanjiru Karanja and Agnes Murgor on Tuesday a day before the deadline set in the Elections Act.
The appeal arose from a decision rendered by the Employment and Labour Relations Court in March 2017 when Justice Njagi Marete declared Section 43(5) of the Elections Act “unconstitutional and without any legal basis or force ab initio.”
The Appeal Court also overturned Justice Marete’s decision that the Elections Act failed the public participation test saying the judge had no jurisdiction to determine the issue of public participation.
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Under Section 43(5) of the Elections Act, “a public officer who intends to contest an election under this Act shall resign from public office at least six months before the date of election.”
Under Section 43(6), the Act however shields elected officials including the President, the Deputy President, Members of Parliament, County Governors, Deputy Governors, Members of County Assemblies from the provision.
