Deputy President William Ruto on Thursday night praised God after a five judge bench declared the Constitution of Kenya Amendment Bill 2020 as unconstitutional.
In a tweet, the DP said God loves Kenya immeasurably moments after the ruling.
“There is GOD in heaven who loves kenya immeasurably. May GOD’S name be PRAISED forever,” wrote the second in command.
There is GOD in heaven who loves kenya immeasurably. May GOD'S name be PRAISED forever.
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) May 13, 2021
The bench that consisted of Justices Joel Ngugi, George Odunga, Jairus Ngaah, Teresia Matheka and Chacha Mwita ruled that a Constitutional amendment cannot be initiated by a Parliamentary or popular initiative, or the President.
“It is our finding that popular initiative is power reserved for Wanjiku neither the president or any other state organ can utilise Article 257 to amend the Constitution,” ruled the judges.
“Kenyans intended that the essence of constitutional order they were bequeathing themselves in 2010 would only be changed in exercise of primary constituent power that is through civic education, public participation, constitutional assembly plus a referendum and not through secondary constituent power which is through public participation and referendum only.”
The court also barred the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) from going ahead with holding a referendum on the BBI Bill.
Read: BBI Process Is Unlawful, Constitutional Court Rules
The bench also found that “the procedure and process used to create apportion the new constituencies is an attempt to amend the constitution by stealth and if allowed it will create a loophole through which basic structure of the constitution without triggering the primary constituent power.”
The DP and his allies have been sidelined from the BBI process with the latter voting against the Bill in both House of Parliament.
Ruto has since the Bill passed in the National Assembly with impeachment should he not toe the line.
Led by majority leader Amos Kimunya, the National Assembly leadership urged the second in command to toe the party line or risk being ousted through a no confidence motion in the House.
“We hope that with Thursday’s vote, the question of who has the numbers has been settled forever,” Kimunya said.
In the National Assembly, 235 members supported the Bill and 51 in the Senate.
Here are some reactions to the DP’s tweet:
Unakumbuka ile kitu ulifanya Langata primary pic.twitter.com/jK6MX65lgm
— Sean Don 🌴 (@sean_gowe) May 13, 2021
https://twitter.com/Daisykenyan/status/1392916472834543628
Take this to the bank.
We shall have a referendum before August this year.
This is a SMALL hitch.— Solomon Kuria (@kuriasolomonK) May 13, 2021
😂😂😂😂😂 @AtwoliDza pic.twitter.com/XrJhKZJUv3
— Josephat Meraba 🇰🇪 (@JosephatMeraba) May 13, 2021
https://twitter.com/MonicaNjeriXY/status/1392918259062685699
Kabisa Mungu hua halali our next GVN Nkr County had saw this pic.twitter.com/jIZnsxQ5NN
— Anthony Ngari (@anthonyngari90) May 13, 2021
Very true Ruto the 5th. pic.twitter.com/E22qu4PWe3
— DENIS AUNGA. (@denis_aunga) May 13, 2021
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