The Public Relations Society of Kenya member Gilbert Awino/HANDOUTThe Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK) is now bracing itself for a fierce court battle following orders granted to stop the much-awaited elections that were slated for today.
Justice Prof. Nixon Sifuna ordered that the matter will be mentioned again on November 6, 2025.
“In the meantime an interim stay of the scheduled Annual General Meeting and the scheduled Elections are hereby stayed until the determination of this Application,” Sifuna ordered.
“Take notice that any disobedience or non-observance of the order of the court served herewith will result in penal consequences to you and any other person(s) disobeying and not observing the same.”
The petitioner, Gilbert Awino, a member of PRSK, says his mission is to ensure that PRSK is run professionally as provided for by its own constitution.
‘‘As a ranking member, the leadership has not adhered to the Constitution of 2016. Members have raised these issues in the town hall and pleaded for the AGM to be postponed, but their concerns were ignored. Since the Constitution only provides for dispute resolution after elections, the courts remain the only avenue for constitutional interpretation,’’ Awino said.
He further claims that the current council has no capacity and cannot purport to call for an election, noting that six council members’ terms ended back in June 2025.
‘‘This petition is not meant to extend anyone’s term. The President’s term is still valid, but six Council Members’ terms ended in June 2025. The Council should have called for elections earlier. Officials whose terms had lapsed also issued financial statements. I have further questioned the credibility of the purely virtual voting system. A hybrid model — physical and online — would promote fairness and allow members to follow results in real time,’’ he added.
Awino moved to court to dispute the capacity and legality of the current Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK) Council to call an election.
In his supporting affidavit, the petitioner is asking the court to stop the elections, citing violations of the society's own Constitution, particularly Article 18.
He says the council term expired in June this year and that it do have capacity to call for an election.
PRSK is the professional body that represents practitioners in the fields of public relations and communication management in Kenya.
Established in 1971, PRSK operates as a non-profit and non-political organisation, with the core aim of promoting excellence, ethical standards, and professionalism in public relations practice across the country.
As the umbrella body for PR professionals, PRSK plays a
vital role in setting industry standards, enforcing a code of conduct, and
providing continuous professional development opportunities through training,
workshops, seminars, and certification programmes.
