President William Ruto can now trademark the infamous “mambo ni matatu” phrase.
The Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI) has give the head of state the go-ahead to trademark the phrase.
President Ruto’s lawyer, Adrian Kamotho says registration of the phrase will deny others the right to use the numeral 3 sign.
“Registration of this mark shall give no right to the exclusive use of the numeral ‘3’ and the device of ‘human fingers’ per se each separately and apart from the mark as a whole,” said KIPI.
Read: Lobby Group Sues President Ruto Over “Mambo ni Matatu” Declaration
The President uttered the word last month as he issued a warning to sugar tycoons, saying that they would only have three options; leave the country, go to jail, or go to heaven if they continued to obstruct government efforts to reform the industry.
As a result, a lobby group, Operation Linda Jamii, petitioned the High Court in Milimani for an order compelling Ruto to retract and issue a formal apology over the remarks.
According to court records, the lobby organization said that Ruto’s comments teeter on the edge of being callous death threats by the President, who is meant to be a symbol of national unity.
“The President’s comments if not retracted and an official unconditional apology proffered, will create a perception in Kenya that undermines judicial independence and will also see the rule of law disrespected without a recourse,” the group said.
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Operation Linda Jamii asserted that the Head of State’s approach was a risky and populist way to solve the challenges.
The group, however, acknowledged that problems plaguing the sugar sector and demanded rapid intervention from relevant authorities.
The Mambo ni Matatu jab, in the opinion of the advocacy group, not only amounts to death threats but also violates the fundamentals of the rule of law.
The lobby group contends that the comment also calls into question the Constitution’s checks and balances system and the notion of the separation of powers.
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“He represents the government in court or in any other legal proceedings to which the National Government is a party to,” it said.
In the petition, the group drew attention to the billionaire industrialist Jaswant Rai’s decision to drop his appeal against the Mumias Sugar Company lease, raising questions about whether the decision was made voluntarily or as a result of the threats.
The lobby organization thus questioned the justice system’s effectiveness, which requires that legal disputes be settled in accordance with set rules and principles.
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