Kalonzo welcomes Safaricom ruling as Treasury prepares an appeal

Kalonzo Musyoka has welcomed the High Court decision nullifying the government’s sale of a 15 per cent stake in Safaricom, while the National Treasury says it will challenge the ruling.

In a 16 September statement, the Wiper leader, who represented the petitioners, said the outcome vindicated their challenge. The Standard reported that the three-judge bench had ordered the stake restored to state ownership after finding constitutional and legal shortcomings in the transaction.

Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi took a different position. Speaking in Kisumu on 16 September, he said the government disagreed with the findings, maintained that consultation and approval requirements had been met, and had initiated an appeal process, according to The Star.

The ruling and the government’s response are separate developments. A court order to restore shares should not be described as proof that every practical step in the reversal has already been completed.

The next developments to track are the appeal filings, any further court orders and formal notices from the parties explaining the transaction’s status.