NAIROBI, June 2 — The Kenyan government formally challenged a court ruling that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s proposed constitutional reforms are illegal.

The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) was shot down by the High Court on May 14, dealing a blow to Kenyatta and his allies who wanted the sweeping constitutional changes put to a referendum before next year’s elections.

In a formal appeal filed in court on Wednesday, solicitor general Kennedy Ogeto said the five-panel bench had “erred” in determining that the president did not have the legal authority to spearhead such amendments.

The High Court’s conclusion that Kenyatta could also be sued in a personal capacity for pursuing such an initiative was also incorrect, the government’s top lawyer argued in appeal documents seen by AFP.

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The appeals court will begin hearing the case on June 29.

The BBI reforms seek notably to expand the executive in what is billed as an attempt to curb cycles of election-related violence in Kenya, a problem blamed on the existing winner-takes-all electoral system.

The proposal was born from an alliance struck by Kenyatta and his political foe Raila Odinga in the aftermath of a disputed 2017 election between the men that exploded into violence.

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The BBI has been approved by parliament and has dominated Kenyan politics ever since, splashed on the front pages of newspapers as Kenyatta and Odinga have toured the country rallying support for the initiative, even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Critics see the move as a bid to create a prime minister post for Kenyatta, who is not allowed to seek a third term in 2022.

His deputy William Ruto—who many tipped to succeed Kenyatta in 2022 -- opposes the reforms and has been sidelined as the president has forged a political relationship with Odinga.

If adopted, the BBI would also create 70 new parliamentary constituencies and an official office of the opposition leader in parliament.

Some have argued that adopting the reforms would burden a country already struggling with debt as they would push up the parliament’s sky-high wage bill while creating more opportunities for patronage and corruption.

Kenyatta yesterday said the High Court’s opposition to the BBI amounted to an “attempt to stop the will of the people”. — AFP