Jimmi Wanjigi met his shock of life after the highest court in Kenya ruled that it has no powers to hear his appeal on being locked out of the 2022 general election.
Wanjigi had filed an appeal disputing the decision of the High Court and Court of Appeal to exclude him from the presidential elections on August 9 due to a lack of a degree, claiming that his rights had been infringed.
The Supreme Court said its jurisdiction was limited to questions regarding the interpretation or application of the Constitution, which constitutional concerns had already been reviewed and decided by the two lower courts.
“The Supreme Court is not an open forum for all cases from the appellate court on judicial review matters,” the court ruled.
The court remarked that Wanjigi had asked the Supreme Court to reconsider the facts and reach its own finding that he resonated with.
“The appellant having not sustained a case that raises any constitutional issues, interpretation or application, divested the Court of the jurisdiction to hear and determine the appeal under Article 163(4)(a) of the Constitution,” the court ruled.
The judges further concluded that the appeal did not require the Court to address the other concerns as requested for the sake of posterity since Wanjigi did not demonstrate the existence of any constitutional moment to be addressed.
