Ruto faces court battle in quest for UDM

Eldoret North MP William Ruto. Photo/FILE

By RICHARD MUNGUTI
Posted  Friday, July 8 2011 at 18:07

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The United Democratic Movement (UDM) on Friday sued Eldoret North MP William Ruto for conducting political affairs under the party's banner.

Ousted UDM chairman Lt. Gen (Rtd) John Koech moved the court to block Mr Ruto and 27 officials identifying themselves in the public domain as the bonafide officials of the party.

Mr Koech says that Mr Ruto “is a member and official of the Orange Democratic Party (ODM).”

He says Mr Ruto alleges that he has been nominated by 26 members of UDM as the chairman or party leader.

Mr Koech is asking the court to block Mr Ruto and any of the 27 members of the UDM executive committee, he has named as respondents in the case from holding any meetings countrywide to recruit new party members.

Mr Koech is also asking the court to block the Registrar of Political Parties from replacing UDM party officials with Mr Ruto and his allies.

In a suit certified as urgent on Friday by a Judicial Review and Constitutional Division judge, Mr Justice Daniel Musinga, the petitioner says he will be greatly prejudiced if Mr Ruto and his allies will continue holding public meetings and recruiting members into UDM.

“The petitioner is mandated under Article 50 of the Constitution the right to have any dispute he files in court be heard and determined in accordance to the law,” says lawyer Nelson Havi.

During the court proceeding, Mr Havi submitted that the petitioner was not invited to vie for any public office in UDM to “which he is a member and the duly elected chairman.”