Nairobi — A three-judge bench has dismissed a petition seeking to declare Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo unfit to hold office over claims that he defected from the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), the party on which he was elected in the 2022 General Election.

Justices Jairus Ngaah, Lawrence Mugambi, and John Chigiti ruled that the petitioners -- Guyo Ali Guracha, Mohamed Wario Jattani, Teddy M. Muturi, and Steven Kihonge Ndung'u -- failed to prove that Governor Guyo and his deputy, John Lowasa, officially ditched UDA for the Jubilee Party.

In their judgment, the judges noted that no evidence was tendered to show formal communication of defection to either UDA, Jubilee, or the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

They emphasized that the petitioners did not produce any letter or documentation to authenticate the alleged defection said to have occurred on June 2, 2023.

The court concluded that, in the absence of concrete evidence, the governor and his deputy remain lawfully in office and are entitled to serve until they complete their term.

The bench further observed that Kenya's political environment has long embraced party alliances and shifting coalitions, a trend dating back to the reintroduction of multi-party democracy in 1992.