Martha Koome
Chief Justice Martha Koome has condemned President William Ruto for attacking the judiciary.
In a statement on Wednesday, Koome noted that the trend of attacking and criticising judges in public in ongoing cases is a way of intimidating them.
Koome urged judges and judicial officers to continue to perform their duties in accordance with the law and without undue influence from any authority, adding that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) will protect them.
“I wish to assure the judges and judicial officers that my office will continue to protect the constitutional principle that guarantees the exercise of the judicial mandate without control or direction from any person or authority,” said CJ Koome.
The Chief Justice added that allegations of corruption in the judiciary, such as those made by Ruto, should be made to the JSC and not discussed at public events.
“Declarations of corruption in public events and activities without appropriate procedural reporting mechanisms exposes an institution like the Judiciary to public suspicion and mistrust,” Koome said.
She further assured Kenyans that allegations or complaints of misconduct or corruption by any judge or judicial officer would be dealt with decisively in accordance with the Constitution.
President Ruto on Tuesday accused some judicial officers of being beneficiaries of graft and sabotaging his legacy projects of universal health care and affordable housing.
“Our judiciary, we respect you but judicial impunity by corrupt judicial officers must stop in Kenya. We will stop it, whatever it takes. The judiciary must be accountable to the Constitution and the people of Kenya,” said Ruto.
He added: “We will protect the independence of the judiciary. But we will not allow selfish individuals to hijack it.
Also Read: President Ruto Attacks Judiciary Over ‘Sabotaging’ Kenya Kwanza Government Programmes
