President William Ruto’s 2027 re-election bid has suffered a significant blow after the High Court in Nairobi barred National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula and his Senate counterpart Amason Kingi from using their constitutional offices to campaign for the President.
For nearly two years, Wetangula and Kingi have been the loudest choirmasters of Ruto’s re-election machinery, abandoning any pretence of the political neutrality their offices demand and throwing themselves wholeheartedly into Kenya Kwanza Alliance campaigns. The two speakers have been a constant fixture at ruling party events, cheerleading for Ruto and singing the administration’s praises at every available opportunity while the country they are constitutionally mandated to serve impartially watched in disbelief.
That era has now hit a legal wall.
In a ruling on Thursday, Justice David Mburu issued a conservatory order restraining both speakers from engaging in partisan political activities through their constitutional offices, with the order remaining in force until the petition is heard and fully determined.
“That pending the hearing of this application, a conservatory order is hereby issued restraining the respondents from using or benefiting from the authority of their offices in conducting organised partisan political campaigns,” the court directed.
Justice Mburu also certified the matter as urgent and directed that the petition be served on the respondents before the close of business on July 9th. The matter is set to be mentioned again on July 16th, 2026, to confirm compliance with the court’s directions and for further orders to be issued.
The petitioner argued that while Wetangula and Kingi are entitled to hold personal political opinions as individuals, the Constitution draws a firm and clear line at using the authority and resources of their offices to advance partisan political campaigns. According to the petition, the two speakers had been doing exactly that, repeatedly and openly using their constitutional positions to drive Ruto’s re-election agenda in direct violation of the principles of impartiality their offices demand.
For Ruto, losing his two most visible parliamentary cheerleaders in the middle of a bruising re-election campaign is not just a legal setback. It is a political embarrassment that signals the courts are beginning to push back against the blurring of constitutional lines that has defined this administration.
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