Nairobi — A Nairobi lawyer has filed a constitutional petition in the High Court, seeking to compel Parliament and related offices to disclose the amount of public funds spent on the 2025 National Prayer Breakfast and to prevent the use of public money for the 2026 edition of the event.
The petition, filed before the Constitutional and Human Rights Division of the High Court, was brought by advocate Lempaa Suyianka.
Suyianka claimed that the respondents have violated his constitutional right to access information under Article 35 of the Constitution by failing to disclose details of public expenditure related to the National Prayer Breakfast.
According to the petition, Suyianka submitted a formal Freedom of Information request on March 13, 2025, addressed to the Clerk of the National Assembly, requesting information on the 2025 National Prayer Breakfast.
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After the request was declined, he followed up with letters to the clerks of both the National Assembly and Senate in June 2025.
In July 2025, the Commission on Administrative Justice intervened, urging the clerks to provide the requested information.
Despite this, Suyianka states that he was referred to the Parliamentary Service Commission, which later confirmed that the National Prayer Breakfast was included in its annual estimates of expenditure tabled in Parliament under Article 221 but did not disclose the actual amount spent.
In the petition, Suyianka argues that the continued refusal to provide expenditure details violates Article 35(1)(a) & 35(3) - right to access information, Article 10 - national values and principles of governance, including transparency and accountability and Article 201 - prudent management of public finances.
He also contends that Parliament's involvement in organizing the National Prayer Breakfast breaches the doctrine of separation of powers and constitutes imprudent use of public funds.
The petition additionally accuses the Commission on Administrative Justice of failing to enforce its constitutional and statutory mandate to ensure disclosure of the requested information.
He is now seeking declarations that the respondents violated the Constitution, orders compelling disclosure of the 2025 National Prayer Breakfast expenditure and orders restraining the use of public funds for the 2026 National Prayer Breakfast
The High Court is expected to review the petition and schedule a hearing in the coming weeks.
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