This archive report was first published on 31 July 2019.
On July 31, 2019, the High Court issued a ruling that stopped all 47 county assemblies from debating and approving the Punguza Mzigo Bill, a proposal by the Thirdway Alliance to reduce the number of constituencies from 290 to 47.
Justice James Makau, the presiding judge, also prohibited the Thirdway Alliance from presenting the bill to the Speaker of the National Assembly.
The court's orders will remain in effect for 14 days, allowing the parties involved to file their responses.
Thirdway Alliance lawyer Elias Mutuma protested the ruling, stating that his clients were given insufficient time to respond.
Justice Makau directed Mutuma to file his clients' response within five days, with the case set to be heard on August 13.
The petition was filed by David Kamau Ngari and the International Economic Law Centre, naming the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, the Speakers of the National Assembly and Senate, the Thirdway Alliance, and the 47 Speakers of the county assemblies as respondents.
Ngari argued that the bill was unconstitutional and that the IEBC lacked the capacity to verify and approve the signatures of registered voters.
Siaya Senator James Orengo also expressed skepticism about the bill, calling it 'opportunistic, rigid, and mythical.'
