As the 2022 presidential elections in Kenya approach, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s bid to change the constitution to change the country’s constitution has been labeled as “illegal” by the Supreme Court of Kenya. Thus, dealing a blow to him and his allies ahead of going to the polls in August.

Six of the seven judges overseeing the case at the Supreme Court said, ruled against Kenyatta’s proposal to expand the executive stressing that the President cannot initiate constitutional amendments or changes through popular initiative under article 257 of the constitution,”

The failed law would have expanded the executive and increased the number of parliamentary seats from 290 to 360, in the biggest change to Kenya’s political system since it introduced a new constitution in 2010.

The ruling was given by a seven-judge bench at the Supreme Court headed by Martha Koome, the country’s first female chief justice.

The ruling however left the possibility of adopting popular reforms – Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) – to be instituted by parliament or through other means, so long as the president did not have a hand in the changes.

The “Building Bridges Initiative” (BBI) was a constitutional referendum that occurred in Kenya in 2021. The initiative consisted of a series of 78 proposed amendments to the Constitution of Kenya and spanned 13 of its 18 chapters.

Many however disagreed with the BBI, most notable amongst the BBI detractors is Kenyatta’s estranged deputy William Ruto, who is running for the top job in August. Ruto believes the plan is a little more than a naked grab for power by a two-term president who cannot run a third time.