Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia. /FILE
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has rescheduled the delivery of its judgment in the case against Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia to Friday afternoon, days after postponing the ruling.
In a media invitation issued on Friday morning, the commission said its Electoral Code of Conduct Enforcement Committee will deliver the judgment at 3 pm at the IEBC boardroom on the sixth floor of Anniversary Towers in Nairobi.
"The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), through its Electoral Code of Conduct Enforcement Committee, invites members of the media to cover the delivery of judgment in the matter involving Wanjiku Muhia, Member of the National Assembly for Kipipiri Constituency," the notice reads.
The ruling had initially been scheduled for Monday morning before the commission deferred it, saying a new date would be communicated later.
At the time, the IEBC did not give reasons for the postponement.
Muhia is facing allegations of violating the Electoral Code of Conduct after she allegedly made what the commission described as inflammatory remarks during a political campaign rally in Ol Kalou Constituency, Nyandarua County.
The case has drawn political and legal attention following proceedings on July 2, when the MP's legal team walked out of the hearing in protest over the composition of the Electoral Code of Conduct Enforcement Committee and its jurisdiction to hear the matter.
The lawyers argued that the committee lacked the legal mandate to hear the case, insisting the proceedings should instead have been conducted by IEBC chairperson Erastus Ethekon and vice chairperson Fahima Araphat.
However, the commission dismissed the preliminary objection, maintaining that the committee was properly constituted and legally empowered to enforce compliance with the Electoral Code of Conduct.
Despite the walkout, the committee proceeded with the hearing in the absence of Muhia and her legal team.
Committee chairperson Alutalala Mukhwana said at the time that the law did not require parties to remain present for the proceedings to continue, adding that the MP had failed to appear despite being notified of the hearing.
The outcome of the case is expected to provide one of the first major tests of the reconstituted IEBC's enforcement of the Electoral Code of Conduct as political activity gathers pace ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Speaking on Thursday during the launch of the 2022 pre-election dispute resolution committee report, Ethekon said the commission could postpone the July 16 Ol Kalou by-election following reports of serious breaches of the Electoral Code of Conduct.
Ethekon cited rising violence in the area, as well as allegations of voter bribery and night campaigns, which are against IEBC guidelines and threaten the polls.
