Ruto Escalates War Against Judiciary & LSK
Ruto Escalates War Against Judiciary & LSK
Ruto Escalates War Against Judiciary & LSK
President William Ruto has maintained that the judiciary is home to rogue forces that want to undermine his legacy, refusing to budge in response to warnings from CJ Koome and LSK.The President also rejected the Law Society of Kenya’s accusations that the Executive was intimidating the judiciary in order to obstruct the administration of justice.
In a statement released by Government Spokesman Hussein Mohammed, Ruto stated that it was unjust to charge him with threatening the judiciary’s independence given that he had nominated judges that the previous administration had previously refused to appoint.He chastised the LSK and judiciary, saying, “Yet, by its own standards, legislative impunity is also unacceptable and so is judicial impunity.”
Ruto added that as the Head of State, it was his constitutional obligation to protect Kenyan citizens from judicial misconduct perpetrated by corrupt officers colluding with vested interests. “Corruption must not find refuge behind the shield of judicial independence,” he remarked adding that there is a duty to expose and hold accountable those who engage in corrupt practices.
Ruto defended his assault on the judiciary by pointing out that independent institutions were barred from prosecuting corruption suspects in December. He continued by saying that although the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) were carrying out their constitutional duties, the criminal justice system’s inefficiencies were impeding their efforts.
Ruto declared, referring to the third president by name, “We are back to the clamour for judiciary reforms last witnessed during President Mwai Kibaki’s tenure.”Ruto declared that he would keep pushing for a fair legal system, saying that it was his duty to the voters.
“It is unreasonable to expect the President to stand by and watch such abuses take place. He can’t stay silent,” the statement said. His remarks came shortly after Chief Justice Martha Koome denounced what she saw as Executive intimidation of the judiciary and asked judges and other judicial officers to continue doing their jobs without fear of censure or compulsion. Additionally, LSK promised to stage protests against Ruto across the country the next week.
