Ruto blasts critics over his presence at judicial events

President William Ruto yesterday told off critics accusing him of interfering with the independence of the judiciary saying he does not influence any of its decisions.

Ruto yesterday said he supports the Judiciary as an arm of government delivering justice to all Kenyans, adding that it is time to enhance justice reforms.

“I know there is maybe a discussion as to why I am appearing in many functions of the Judiciary. I think they can confirm to you that I have never put a telephone call to anybody to ask them to do nothing. My support for the Judiciary is so that they can effectively deliver justice to the people of Kenya. Period,” he said when he launched the inaugural National Council on Administration of Justice (NCAJ) annual report 2021/22 in a Nairobi hotel.

Ruto said it is in order for any aggrieved parties on any matter to seek justice in court, even as he cited the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), led by its President Eric Theuri, which challenged the nomination of Principal Secretaries recently.

“I want to congratulate all the actors. I’m particularly pleased to see my friend Eric Theuri here who took me to court when I made appointments and I appreciate the wheels of justice. I am happy he is not threatening to organise any demonstrations because he did not win the case. We are all in this space because we have to act in the manner expected of us, and everybody is entitled to do what they must do,” said Ruto. 

“It is okay to take the government or me to court. I have no problem if you have a matter and if I lose I have no problem, I move on to the next. It means I was wrong; nobody is an angel, all of us can be wrong or right but we leave it to the Judiciary to decide whether one is guilty or innocent, that way we will be affirming the rule of law in our country.”

Rule of law

He said the efficacy of the justice system, how the rule of law is upheld and the administration of justice is key to the performance of the institutions of the political economy.

Chief Justice Martha Koome joined in the debate saying that not a single institution can succeed unless they work together.

“Just to allay the fears about our independence, which we guard against jealousy, we confirm that in all our meetings, we never discuss the merits of any matter, we only discuss the administration of justice – are we delivering justice to the people – that is the question we ask ourselves all the time,” said Koome.

She said the success achieved in the Judiciary is attributable to the collaborative and consultative approach adopted by actors within the justice sector, which has contributed to the more efficient and effective delivery of justice.

“We thank the President for making time to come and encourage us because we are all about inter-agency, inter-dependence, collaboration and cooperation because, at the end of the day, we serve one Kenya, the one Kenyans have named ‘Wanjiku,” Koome stated.

Director of Public Prosecutions, Noordin Haji, also stated the President’s presence at the NCAJ event was a testament to his administration’s commitment to safeguarding the rule of law while fostering a Government that is cognizant of the independence and inter-independence of institutions towards enhancing access to justice.

He said that a lot of accusations have been made against the justice sector for decisions it has made independently as officers charged with the various mandates to take charge and dispense justice.

“I’m sure for this meeting, we will be accused of sitting down and meeting with the Executive. However, from the very beginning when the Chief Justice took over and NCAJ Chairperson, she was very clear that as much as we are independent institutions we are interdependent on each other and we must work with each other. And this is how Governments are supposed to be run,” said Haji.

High profile cases

Haji has lately been on the receiving end for dropping high-profile cases since Ruto was sworn into office, amid speculations of possible political meddling.

Although the DPP has the discretion to withdraw cases, LSK has raised questions on the motive and timing.

The President’s allies have however said that some of the allegations were fabricated in the previous regime for political reasons.

For instance, the DPP sought to drop murder charges against Public Service Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa and those of Sarah Wairimu over the murder of her late Dutch husband, Tob Cohen and her co-accused Peter Karanja.