<p class="ql-align-center">REPUBLIC OF KENYA</p><p class="ql-align-center"> IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF KENYA</p><p class="ql-align-center"> AT NAIROBI</p><p>Civil Appeal 272 of 2003</p><p class="ql-align-center">NTOITHA M’MITHIARU ................................................... APPELLANT</p><p class="ql-align-center">AND</p><p class="ql-align-center">RICHARD MAOKA MAORE .................................... 1^ST RESPONDENT</p><p class="ql-align-center">BISHOP JOSEPH KYAVOA - RETURNING</p><p class="ql-align-center">OFFICER NTONYIRI CONSTITUENCY........................... 2^ND RESPONDENT</p><p class="ql-align-center">ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF KENYA .................. 3^RD RESPONDENT</p><p class="ql-align-center">(Appeal from a ruling and order of the High Court of Kenya at Meru (Mulwa, J) dated 23^rd September, 2003</p><p class="ql-align-center">in</p><p class="ql-align-center">H.C.E.P. No. 1 of 2003)</p><p class="ql-align-center">******************</p><p class="ql-align-center">JUDGMENT OF OMOLO, J.A</p><p class="ql-align-justify">I had the advantage of reading in draft form the judgment prepared by Onyango Otieno, JA and I gratefully accept his summary of the facts underlying the litigation before us. There is, accordingly, no occasion for me to repeat those facts in this brief judgment, except to the extent where the judgment would be intelligible without a reharsh of the facts.</p><p class="ql-align-justify"><em>Section 44</em> of the Constitution of Kenya which is the supreme law in th…</p>