NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 13 – The High Court has temporarily suspended the enforcement of an Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) decision requiring Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia to pay a Sh1.5 million fine over alleged hate speech during the Ol Kalou by-election campaigns.
In interim orders issued Monday, the court stayed the implementation of the IEBC Electoral Code of Conduct Enforcement Committee’s judgment delivered on July 10, pending the hearing and determination of the lawmaker’s application challenging the decision.
“That in the meantime, pending the hearing and determination of the application, an order is hereby issued staying the judgment/determination of the 2nd Respondent issued on 10 July 2026,” the court ruled.
The orders effectively bar the electoral commission from enforcing the Sh1.5 million fine or compelling Muhia to issue a public apology within the 72-hour deadline contained in the IEBC decision until the case is heard and determined.
Muhia moved to the High Court seeking to block the implementation of the sanctions, arguing that the commission’s decision should not take effect before the court determines her substantive legal challenge.
The MP was sanctioned by the IEBC Electoral Code of Conduct Enforcement Committee over remarks she allegedly made during a political rally on June 14 while campaigning for Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Sammy Kamau Ngotho in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.
The committee, chaired by Moses Alutalala Mukhwana, found that Muhia’s remarks contravened the Electoral Code of Conduct by allegedly inciting residents against people perceived as non-indigenous to the constituency.
The ruling followed a contentious hearing in which Muhia’s legal team walked out in protest over the committee’s composition and challenged the IEBC’s jurisdiction to hear the complaint. The commission dismissed the objection before proceeding to deliver its verdict.
The matter will now proceed before the High Court, which will determine whether the IEBC’s decision should stand.