September 8, 2023: Top news events to look out for today

Here is what you need to know in order to get up to speed with today’s happenings.

1. Finance Act ruling

The Supreme Court of Kenya is today set to deliver a ruling on the appeal seeking to set aside orders by the Court of Appeal that reinstated the provisions of the Finance Act, 2023.

The appeal was lodged by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah and three other activists.

The appellate court had disagreed with the High Court, which had suspended the implementation of the tax measures as proposed in the Finance Act, which President William Ruto signed into law in June.

A three-judge bench set aside the orders after Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u argued that the suspension of the Act was affecting government operations and would cause a major budgetary crisis.

The Supreme Court is expected to deliver the ruling on the appeal via email at 10 am.

“Take notice that the ruling on this matter (between Omtatah and three others versus the Cabinet Secretary Treasury and 10 others) will be determined via email on Friday September 8, 2023 at 10am before the Supreme Court of Kenya,” Registrar of the Supreme Court, Letizia Wachira, said in a communique to all the parties in the case yesterday.

2. Supreme Court verdict on LGBTQ registration dispute

The Supreme Court is today also set to pronounce itself on whether it will reverse its earlier decision compelling the government to officially register gay and lesbian lobby groups.

This is following a review application filed by Homa Bay Town MP George Kaluma who expressed his dissatisfaction with the judgment delivered on February 24, 2023.

In their judgment, the Supreme Court judges ruled that, “it would be unconstitutional to limit the right to associate, through denial of registration of an association, purely on the basis of the sexual orientation of the applicants.”

The contested judgment was delivered by a majority of three judges against two.

Justices Philomena Mwilu, Smokin Wanjala and Njoki Ndung’u ruled in favour of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) groups while Justices William Ouko and Mohamed Ibrahim dissented.

The minority judges argued that there was no point in registering an organization that would promote illegalities since gay sex is illegal in Kenya.

3. Sugar summit

A two-day sugar conference kicks off in Kakamega County today.

Leaders from around the lake region counties of Western Kenya and key figures in the sugar industry will be meeting to discuss the revival of the ailing sector.

More than 2,000 leaders drawn across 14 counties in the Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB) are expected to attend the event.

The leaders are expected to, among others, discuss the troubled Mumias Sugar Company (MSC) and agree on what to include in the sugar bill, currently in the Third Reading at the National Assembly.

The conference comes two weeks after President William Ruto concluded a five-day tour in the western region where he promised to prioritise the revival of public millers.

The Head of State vowed to crush cartels frustrating the revival bid even as he promised to write off multibillion debts accrued by the millers.