Kenya's BBI blocked in scathing court verdict for President Kenyatta

Kenya
# 14 May 2021 16:10 (UTC +04:00)

In a scathing ruling, five High Court judges in Kenya have blocked a government-backed plan to make fundamental changes to the country's constitution, APA reports citing BBC.

The judgement is arguably the most significant ruling by Kenyan courts since President Uhuru Kenyatta's election win was nullified in 2017.

The judges said the constitution amendment bill, popularly referred to as the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), was irregular, illegal and unconstitutional.

President Kenyatta and his political nemesis-turned-ally, Raila Odinga, unveiled the initiative after a truce following the contentious 2017 election, which saw violent clashes around the country.

The debate has dominated Kenya's politics for the past two years and is closely linked to the battle to succeed Mr Kenyatta, who is due to step down next year.

The two leaders said the initiative, which proposes, among others, the expansion of the executive arm of government, would make the country's politics more inclusive.

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THE OPERATION IS BEING PERFORMED