Lawyer Willis Otieno sings popular nursery rhyme inky pinky ponky in Supreme Court

Lawyer Willis Otieno was the star of the show on the first day of the presidential election petition hearing at the Supreme Court after remixing the popular nursery rhyme inky pinky ponky.

Otieno who is representing the Director at Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) Khelef Khalifa cracked up the court when he opted to sing the Dholuo version of the nursery rhyme while explaining how IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati circumvented the law.

At one point as he addressed the Supreme Court judges, Otieno quoted his niece's favourite nursery rhyme when he carefully described how the electoral process was done by an individual, not the electoral commission.

"I refer to the affidavit of the 11th respondent, they have confirmed they were concerned why tallying had stopped at the Bomas of Kenya. Why were you not announcing the results per constituency as you did before. It appears Chebukati used the nursery rhyme, to select the President-elect," stated Otieno.

Lawyer Willis Otieno at the Supreme Court during the 2022 presidential election petition. Photo credit: Zakheem Rajan Pulse Live Kenya

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Otieno further claimed the IEBC Chairman contradicted himself during the tallying and verification of the presidential results.

"IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati contradicted himself by first claiming that he is solely responsible for tallying and verification of presidential results, then saying in court that the process was handled by the entire IEBC," he stated.

The lawyer additionally cited past court decisions, including the 2017 Supreme Court judgment that nullified Presidential election, to support his argument that the power to tally and verify results cannot be vested in one individual.

"We can't be coming to you (Supreme Court) every election with the same problem involving the same people. That's why we are calling for criminal sanctions. The lack of transparency in the tallying and verification of presidential poll results erodes the trust of Kenyans in the electoral process." stated Otieno.

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