Lawyer PLO Lumumba has warned Kenyans about the role of the Supreme Court in elections, saying the court now plays a bigger part in deciding who becomes president. He urged citizens not to lose hope but to continue voting and protecting their ballots.

“We have a group of individuals in Supreme Courts who now tell us who our president is going to be after we have wasted our voting,” he said during a local radio station morning discussion on Thursday, September 18, 2025.

“But I urge Kenyans now take the vote. Vote. Protect the vote. It is still possible. Let’s try it one more time. One more time. It can be done. But men and women of goodwill must also come out.”

“Let us not remain in our bedrooms agonizing without organizing. And you, the Kenyan electorate, do also listen to men and women of goodwill. I’m now told that almost every politician has a group of people who are their kind of militia.”

“To our security forces, please deal with these militias in good time. Because if you don’t, this is how Haiti became Haiti that we know today. Let’s save our country. Still a great country.”

History of election petitions

Lumumba’s remarks come at a time when petitions to the Supreme Court have become common after presidential elections. In 2017, the Court nullified Uhuru Kenyatta’s win following a petition by Raila Odinga, citing irregularities in the transmission of results. This was the first time in Kenya’s history that a presidential election was cancelled. A repeat election was later held, which Kenyatta won again.

In 2022, the Court upheld William Ruto’s win after another petition by Odinga, who argued that the electoral process was flawed. The judges dismissed the claims, confirming Ruto as the fifth president of Kenya.

Other contested elections in earlier years also ended up in court, but none had as big an impact as the 2017 and 2022 cases. Lumumba’s warning shows a concern that institutions may overshadow the will of the voters.

He urged Kenyans to remain active, to vote, and to protect their democratic rights, while calling on security forces to curb rising political militias before they destabilise the country.