The Kenyan High Court ruled last month that the constitutional reform proposed by President Uhuru Kenyatta was illegal.

The Kenyan government has officially challenged ruling The country’s high court said last month that the constitutional reform proposed by President Uhuru Kenyatta was illegal.

On May 14, the court rejected extensive constitutional reforms commonly known as the “Bridge Building Initiative” (BBI), which was a blow to Kenyatta and its allies. They hoped that the amendment would be submitted to a referendum before next year’s election. .

In a formal appeal filed to the court on Wednesday, Deputy Attorney General Kennedy Ogeto stated that the judge of the five-member panel “wrongly” determined that the president did not have the legal authority to take the lead in making such amendments.

The government’s senior lawyer argued in the appeal document seen by AFP that the conclusion of the high court is that Kenyatta can also be sued in his personal capacity to pursue such an initiative is also incorrect.

The Court of Appeal will start hearing the case on June 29.

The BBI proposal specifically seeks to expand the executive branch, and its supporters call it an attempt to curb the cycle of violence related to the election in Kenya. This problem is attributed to the existing winner-takes-all election system.

It will create 70 new constituencies, return the role of cabinet minister to elected members of parliament, and create several powerful new positions: a prime minister, two representatives and an official leader of the opposition party in parliament.

The movement grew out of an alliance formed by Kenyatta and his political enemy Raila Odinga after violence broke out in the controversial 2017 elections.

The BBI has been approved by parliament and has dominated Kenya’s politics since then. When Kenyatta and Odinga toured the country to win support for the initiative, it was on board even during the coronavirus pandemic. The front page of the newspaper.

Critics believe that the move is to create a prime ministerial position for Kenyatta, who cannot seek a third term in 2022.

His deputy, William Ruto, opposed reform, because the president had established a political relationship with Odinga, so his deputy, William Ruto, opposed reform and was excluded.

Some people believe that the adoption of reforms will increase the burden on a country that is already struggling with debt, because they will push up the parliament’s sky-high wage bill while creating more opportunities for patronage and corruption.

In a televised speech on Tuesday, Kenyatta stated that the High Court’s opposition to the BBI amounts to “an attempt to block the will of the people”.