Court bars Parliament from interfering with former presidents’ retirement benefits

The High Court has barred Parliament from interfering with the retirement benefits of a former president and declared unconstitutional a law that restricts retired heads of state from holding political party office. In a judgment delivered on Monday, Justice Bahati Mwamuye declared Sections 4(1), 4(2), 4(3) and the entirety of Section 6 of the Presidential Retirement Benefits Act unconstitutional. The Court said the Constitution provides stronger protection for a former president’s retirement benefits than Parliament had purported to create through legislation. The case was filed by civic advocacy group Sheria Mtaani and lawyer Shadrack Wambui.