Republic v Registrar of Political Parties, Mwajuma Rajab Abdalla & Irene Muronji Kopi Ex-parte: Party of National Unity [2017] KEHC 6174 (KLR)

REPUBLIC OF KENYA

IN THE HIGH COURT OF KENYA

AT NAIROBI

JUDICIAL REVIEW NO.  642 OF 2016

REPUBLIC……………………………………………………….APPLICANT

VERSUS

THE REGISTRAR OF POLITICAL PARTIES ...................…..  RESPONDENT

MWAJUMA RAJAB ABDALLAH…....1ST INTENDED INTERESTED PARTY

IRENE MURONJI KOPI………............2ND INTENDED INTERESTED PARTY

EX-PARTE: PARTY OF NATIONAL UNITY

RULING

1. This matter first and foremost, was  heard by Honourable Justice  Odunga J on 30th March  2017 and he reserved  the file for  writing  of judgment  which is  scheduled  for  11th May  2017.  The learned judge then proceeded on leave.

2. On 6th April 2017, the  interested  parties  appeared  under certificate of urgency with an application seeking to be  enjoined  to these  proceedings  and  to set  aside/ vacate  the stay  orders   issued by Honourable Odunga J when granting  leave.  I certified  the matter as  urgent  and  directed  the interested  parties to  appear before Odunga J when  he returns  from leave  on priority  basis.

3. However, the interested  parties  wrote to the  court and   filed another  certificate  of urgency seeking that their  application be considered  on priority  basis  as they were being   prejudiced  if they  were to await  the return  of Honourable  Justice Odunga J from leave on  11th May  2017.  It is at that point that I directed the interested party’s counsels, Mr Awele, to consult  the Principal Judge, Honourable R. Mwongo who gave administrative directions and also contacted Honourable  Odunga J  via  an email  of  17th April  2017 and who authorized  that the file which was pending judgment  be accessed  for  whatever urgent  action  that  was required.  However the file was not traced immediately and on 21st April 2017 Mr Awele  filed a  certificate  of urgency  urging the court to  consider  his client’s  complaints  urgently.

4. As  I had the authority  from Honourable  Odunga  J in writing, I proceeded  and  considered  the  certificate  of urgency, I granted leave  to join the interested  parties herein  and  temporarily  suspended  the party primary  nomination  exercise  which  was scheduled  for Saturday   22nd  April  2017 and  today 24th April 2017.

5. I did so after satisfying myself that the interested parties deserved the orders sought in the interim.  I also directed  that the  interested  parties  do serve  the respondents/  exparte  applicant  for  consideration  of the matter  today  before  Honourable Odunga J.

6. This morning, Honourable  Odunga J personally  availed the original file  to me in my chambers  and  directed that  I proceed  with the matter   as may be appropriate.

7. The parties  are now before the court  and  Mr Okongo  Mogeni Senior Counsel  for the exparte  applicant  seeks  for  expunging    of the proceedings   of 21st April  2017  and the setting aside of the temporary  orders of  21st April  2017  on the grounds  among others, that the interested  parties  misled  the  court into  issuing   those orders  and  secondly, that  the dispute  between  his client  and the respondent Registrar of  Political  Parties  is now  settled  vide gazettement  on  21st  April  2017  of party officials  who have gone ahead  to conduct  party  nominations  on  22nd April  2017  and those  due  for today  prior to  issuance  of the orders of 21st April  2017.  The applicant  and  respondent  have also  signed a  consent  which has  been adopted by this court, settling  the dispute between  them and it has gone  ahead to  withdraw the entire  proceedings   against all the  remainder  of the parties.

8. Mr Awele for the interested party acknowledges that the proceedings  are overtaken  by events  but is firm that his clients  did not  mislead the court and that they had a  good claim before the court  which granted  a mandatory  stay contrary  to Order  53  Rule  4  of the Civil Procedure  Rules.

9. I have considered  the  submissions  by all the parties advocates  and  in my humble  view, in view  of the consent  order recorded  between Mr Mogeni Senior Counsel  and  Mr Imende  for the Registrar  of  Political  Parties, there is nothing  before this court  for  determination, as the  proceedings  and  issues  being  raised  by Mr  Awele’s  clients have been  overtaken  by events  of the gazette   notice No. 3956 of  21st April 2017  gazetting  Party of National  Unity  officials.

10. On the issue of  proceedings  of  21st  April  2017, they  were  regular  proceedings  prompted  by an aggrieved  party who raised very serious issues of  law and  which   issue, though  overtaken  by events, cannot be said to be an  abuse of  court  process   as the court  has not  been given the opportunity  to determine those issues on merit.

11. On  costs, I see  no reason  why I should award  any party costs as the applicant was not responsible for the delay  in considering  the interested party’s application which delay as I have   explained, was caused  by the  non availability  of the original  file which  was pending  before Honourable  Odunga  J for  judgment  to be  delivered on 11th May 2017.

12. On whether I should vacate the orders of 21st April 2017, I note that those orders were for joinder and temporary suspension of Party of National Unity party primaries.  The order  for  joinder  has been  overtaken by events  as the  proceedings  herein  have been  terminated  by the applicant.  Similarly, the order temporarily suspending nominations   was made too late in the day.  It falls by the wayside.  Accordingly the same lapses with the proceedings of today.

13. In the end, I hereby mark these proceedings as withdrawn with no orders as to costs and the file is hereby closed.

Dated, signed and delivered in open court in Nairobi this 24th day of April, 2017.

R.E. ABURILI

JUDGE