July 18, 1991: The High Court rejects Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s (right)application to have his proposed National Democratic Party (NDP) registered. Mr. Justice Norbury Dugdale dismissed the application to register the NDP as a society on the grounds that it was a political party and would therefore infringe the 1982 constitutional amendment which made Kenya a single-party state. The judge said in a one-hour ruling “This appeal is political and it’s presented in an insulting and derogatory manner.” He dismissed the application with costs on the higher scale. Mr. Odinga, Kenya’s first Vice-President and later leader of the opposition in the sixties, sat behind his lawyer, Mr. James Orengo (left) as Mr. Justice Dugdale delivered his ruling. The veteran politician had arrived at the Law Courts at 10.05 am accompanied by his son, Mr. Raila Odinga and NDP officials.

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