Johannesburg – Kenya’s Chief Justice David Kenani Maraga is under scrutiny as he decides the validity of last month’s repeat election, which saw President Uhuru Kenyatta win again following the annulment of the August presidential elections, Kenya’s Daily Nation reports.
Three petitions have been filed with the country’s Supreme Court challenging Kenyatta’s win and a ruling is expect on November 20 after Maraga gave directions to the court on Wednesday.
This is the second time in three months that the seven-judge bench is being called upon to adjudicate on a presidential poll dispute.
Maraga won both admiration and criticism when he nullified the August presidential elections.
Meanwhile, deadlock over the allocation of leadership posts has forced Kenya’s parliament into an unscheduled three-week recess as calls for secession mount among the supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga despite this move almost certain to face immense political pressure, legal obstacles and a possible crackdown by security forces should the move be effectively organised.
Some supporters of the opposition coalition party, National Super Alliance led by Odinga, waved flags of the “People’s Republic of Kenya,” a notional breakaway state, during the elections, while others posted images of Kenya divided into two nations along ethnic lines.
Kenyatta has conceded that tribal divisions are part of the East African country's ongoing political upheaval.