Lolest! wrote:@innovate, @angelica, @maka na wengineo. Check Article 143 (1)-(4). Tell me if I have erred in interpretation.
www.katiba.mobi on your phone/comp.
You are on point....
One needs to read Article 143 very carefully. Its a template provision in all Constitutions in the World. The mischief sought to be curtailed behind the provision is to ensure the integrity of the Presidency so that a sitting President is not embarassed by Court proceedings
However the wording is key:
Criminal proceedings will not be instituted or continued in
any court against the President or a person performing the
functions of that office, DURING their tenure of office.
That means that once he is out of office a criminal action may be brought against him or her esp. seeing that the law of limitations in respect of criminal actions does not apply in Kenya
As for Civil proceedings the position is the same and Article 143 clearly states that they shall not be instituted in any court against the President or for that matter against the person performing the functions of that
office DURING their tenure of office
So likewise in some cases Civil action can be taken out against the President after his term
However it is to be remembered that Civil Actions have limitation periods ranging from 1 year to 12 years (Defamation cases) for claims arising out of judgments.
But luckily Art. 143 covers that as well
It states that where provision is made in law limiting the time within which proceedings may be brought against a person, a period of time during which the person holds or performs the functions of the office of the President shall not be taken into account in calculating the period of time prescribed by that law
Simply meaning that if say the current Prezzy who started work in 2013 gets two terms and leaves in 2023 time stops running so that even a Defamation action which would have lapsed in one year say 2014 will have life until 2024.
The immunity of Uhuru under Article 143 does not
extend to crimes for which he may be prosecuted under any treaty to which Kenya is party and which prohibits
such immunitypossunt quia posse videntur