How the judiciary can check the legislature: Congress cannot reduce the president's salary while he or she is in office.Can temporarily appoint senior officials without Senate approval when it is in recess.Can call special sessions and force an adjournment when both Houses cannot agree on adjournment.How the president can check the legislature: Congress can also hold hearings on matters of general public concern. To assist in this they can summon senior officials for questioning and demand audits of executive agencies.

Congressional committees are tasked with ensuring the government is being run competently and without corruption. Money bills can only originate in the House, but both houses need to approve a bill before it can be passed.Īnother key task is overseeing the executive branch of government.

Its primary duty is to write, debate and pass bills before they are sent to the president. I respect our institutions,' he told journalists.Congress has wide-ranging powers including control over federal taxing and spending and the right to coin money or declare war on other countries. Last week, Mr Ruto said he would respect the court process, which is part of the country's electoral law. Nevertheless, IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati proceeded with the announcement and handed Mr Ruto the certificate confirming that he was the winner. Two electoral commissioners were injured and four others left the compound to hold a press conference to denounce the outcome. Some of Mr Odinga's political allies stormed the stage and scuffles broke out. This time the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) tried to make the results process as transparent as possible by publishing the polling station tallies as soon as they were available.Īn independent Kenyan monitoring group said the IEBC's final result was in line with its own projection.Ī week ago, there were chaotic scenes at the national tallying centre moments before the final result of the 9 August poll was about to be read out. The case highlighted logistical issues in the way the results were collated. In 2017, the veteran politician successfully challenged the result of that year's presidential election, which he lost to Uhuru Kenyatta, and the Supreme Court ordered a re-run. This is the third time in a row that he has gone to court to get an outcome overturned. Speaking last week, Mr Odinga described the result as a 'travesty', adding that the election should be declared 'null and void'. They cheered and chanted as the presidential candidate and his running mate, Martha Karua, arrived at the court to formally submit the case. Their placards read: 'Protect our Vote' and 'Electoral Justice Now!' Supporters of Mr Odinga gathered outside the court in a suburb of the capital, Nairobi, on Monday morning waiting for the lawyers to hand over the physical documents. The allegation is that number was altered to show that Mr Ruto had crossed the 50%-plus-one-vote threshold needed to avoid a second-round run-off. One of the arguments that Mr Odinga is putting forward is that the voter turnout figure was manipulated. The seven judges at the Supreme Court will have 14 days to make a ruling. However, four of the seven electoral commissioners refused to endorse the outcome alleging that the way the final results were tallied was 'opaque'. Raila Odinga, who came second in Kenya's presidential election, has filed a legal case challenging the result, his lawyers have said.Īccording to the electoral commission, Mr Odinga took 48.8% of the vote, losing to William Ruto's 50.5%.

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