President William Ruto has threatened to expose judicial officers sabotaging his Kenya Kwanza Government’s agenda.
In a statement by State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohammed on Wednesday, the President insisted it is their duty to expose and hold a section of judicial officers enabling graft.
“Corruption, whether within the Judiciary, the Executive or the Legislature and, indeed, among the general public must not find refuge behind the shield of judicial independence. It is our duty to expose and hold accountable those who engage in corrupt practices whoever they maybe and wherever they are,” read the statement in part.
The Head of State noted that it was unfair to accuse him of impending independence of the Judiciary considering he had appointed Judges who had earlier been denied their appointments by the former administration.
Ruto further said it would be a dereliction of the President’s oath of office, and a betrayal of the people’s mandate to allow their hopes and aspirations to be obstructed by corruption and impunity.
“We are back to the clamour for judiciary reforms last witnessed during President Mwaki Kibaki’s tenure when it was said: ‘Why pay for a lawyer’s services when you can pay a judge?’ We must never allow the return of such impunity in Kenya,” Hussein stated.
The remarks came on the backdrop of widespread condemnation after President Ruto attacked the Judiciary.
Chief Justice Martha Koome on Wednesday 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.
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