Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) President Mugisha Muntu has credited the Supreme Court in Kenya for what he called ‘a continental legal precedent’ by annulling the recent Presidential election. Muntu said that the unprecedented ruling by the court was a good day for African democracy.
In a statement issued later on Friday, the opposition leader said; “The decision [of court] was based on the fact that the IEBC was unable to demonstrate the results they announced were the properly and fairly tallied expression of the Kenyans.”
He said that the ruling was a conviction of electoral systems that the will of the electorate can never be taken for granted and that electoral processes must be transparent.
“The court made it clear that electoral bodies can no longer take citizens for granted,” Muntu said in the statement.
Muntu congratulated Kenyans upon reaching a peaceful and constitutional solution to the disputed election.
Muntu’s reaction is in consonance with other opposition politicians in Uganda who received Kenya’s ruling on the election with great enthusiasm.
Former Presidential candidate, Kizza Besigye commented saying: “The judgment simply made one fundamental point; that if you violate the constitution, if you violate the electoral laws, then the election cannot stand because the electoral process is built on the constitution and laws.”
Democratic Party President Norbert Mao said in a statement, “Today all Kenyans can walk with their heads high. Democracy requires a strong judiciary to provide it with a strong legal foundation.”