The Employment and Labour Relations Court has dismissed an application by the County Government of Homa Bay, which sought to challenge a petition which halted the appointment of Deputy Governor.
The petition which was filed by two activists, Michael Kojo and Evans Oloo, also halted the appointment of two County Executive Committee Members (CECM) nominees.
Justice Nzioki wa Makau declined to lift the injunction on the appointments and ruled that the earlier orders issued on March 30th 2026, shall subsist until the case is heard and determined.
The petition challenged the recruitment process of Deputy Governor nominee, Danish Onyango, governance CECM nominee, Isaac Ongiri and his Trade counterpart Obiny Dede.
The petitioners complained that the nomination had not complied with the law which requires gender equity, among other anomalies.
But Homa Bay County Government filed an application to challenge the petition, arguing that the vetting process was transparent and had been concluded.
The County government also argued that the candidates were approved by the Political Parties Tribunal and subsequently gazetted on March 23 and 25 this year.
The County government’s legal team submitted that the nominees were vetted by the County Assembly on 25th March 2026, thereby, concluding the vetting and nomination process.
They maintained that it was only the submission of the County Assembly Report, which had not been done. They therefore argued that the orders issued on 30th March were prejudicial and inimical to the County Governments Act, which prescribes strict timelines for the appointment of Deputy Governors.
On the other hand, the petitioners argued that the petition will be rendered jeopardized, if the appointments continued to conclusion.
In his ruling, Justice Makau dismissed the County government’s application and indicated that further directions on the disposal of the petition, will follow the ruling.
By Davis Langat
