High Court order against Cord's IEBC protests 'amounts to nothing' - Orengo

Cord leader Raila Odinga reacts after police lobbed teargas canisters during Opposition protests outside the offices of the IEBC at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi, for the removal of commissioners ahead of the 2017 general election, April 25, 2016. Photo/COURTESY
Cord leader Raila Odinga reacts after police lobbed teargas canisters during Opposition protests outside the offices of the IEBC at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi, for the removal of commissioners ahead of the 2017 general election, April 25, 2016. Photo/COURTESY

An order by the High Court temporarily barring Cord protests at the IEBC was "superfluous" and "amounts to nothing", lawyer James Orengo has said.

High Court Judge Isaac Lenaola barred

Cord principals

and their supporters

from

forcibly breaking into or storming the commission's offices.

In a ruling on Friday, Lenaola said the orders will remain in force

until

May 5

when the case will be heard.

But Orengo said they will defy the orders and carry on with demonstrations to forcibly remove IEBC commissioners before the August 2017 general election.

"It is as if the court was interested, in a direct way, in securing a political objective as opposed to administering the law in accordance with the situation," he said.

"[The orders amount to nothing] because the constitution states how Kenyans should exercise their right of assembly and picketing. Nobody should lecture us on what to do."

Orengo, who is Siaya Senator, said meetings will continue in line with the law, "just like during Saba Saba". Saba Saba Day is marked to commemorate July 7, 1990, when Kenyans successfully demanded a multiparty democracy.

He had told the court that they had just been served and needed more time to respond to the allegations raised against them.

Lenaola's ruling followed five Jubilee MPs' to bar the coalition led by Raila Odinga from interfering with the operations of the commission.

The MPs are

Moses Kuria (Gatundu), Ferdinand Waititu (Kabete), Kimani Ichung'wa (Kikuyu), Dennis Waweru (Dagoretti South) and Alice Ngang'a (Thika Town).

They want the coalition restrained from storming the IEBC's offices and intimidating commissioners as this is "unconstitutional".

The Opposition

on Monday to forcefully remove commissioners ahead of the August 2017 general election.

President Uhuru Kenyatta earlier

said he will not permit

as politicking must be done maturely and lawfully.

Uhuru issued the remarks via Twitter following the chaotic protests at the IEBC.

Other protests

.

Willy Mutunga also

of Raila, Moses Wetang'ula and other Cord leaders during the protests that saw police officers deployed.

Opposition leaders have accused the commission of colluding with Jubilee to rig the 2013 poll and frustrating their pursuit for a referendum.

Key among Cord's concerns is the

of its Okoa Kenya initiative for

failure to meet the

one million constitutional threshold for signatures.

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