‘Impunity of bribing judges wi*l never happen under my watch’ – Ruto
President William Ruto insists that corruption is prevalent in the judiciary, despite facing criticism from various quarters for his sustained attacks on judicial officers.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, January 4, the Head of State remained adamant about spearheading judicial reforms to weed out 'rogue' judges from Kenyan courts.
He said the Kenya Kwanza administration will stop judicial impunity by corrupt judicial officers at all costs.
The president was responding to a warning from renowned city lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi, who expressed concerns about corrupt judicial officers derailing his administration.
"Ahmednasir SC, you warned me of sabotage by corrupt judicial officers. I told you there are many good officers in the judiciary and that we will root out the corrupt. We shall.
"Muite SC, the impunity of bribing judges so as not to derail, delay, or sabotage Kenya’s imminent transformation will never happen under my watch. Not a single cent will be used to bribe nobody. Mambo ya wafisadi wote ni yale nilisema," President Ruto said.
Ahmednasir had claimed that the judiciary is rotten. He alleged that several judicial officers had been compromised by senior government officials in the previous administration to deliver favourable judgements on key matters including the legal battle between the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) on teachers' transfers and promotions.
He claimed that KNUT suffered a defeat in the matter despite the "heroic submission of the lawyers acting for KNUT led by Senior Counsel Paul Muite.
"Wilson Sossion knows too well how the government used the courts to kill KNUT," Ahmednasir claimed.
Ruto under fire
President Ruto stirred a storm after revealing intentions to defy court orders on Tuesday.
Speaking at a funeral in Nyandarua County, Ruto accused some judges of being corrupt and colluding with cartels to sabotage government projects.
“We will not allow these people to derail our plans,” he said as he directed Roads Principal Secretary Joseph Mbugua to move with speed and allocate funds for the construction of a road in Nyandarua County which had stalled following a court order.
The remarks sparked criticism from various quarters who accused the president of interfering with the independence of the judiciary.
Chief Justice and Judicial Service Commission (JSC) chair Martha Koome, Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA) and the Law Society of Kenya yesterday defended the judicial officers against Ruto's attacks.
Koome called on the judges to continue discharging their duties without fear or favour. She also called on any aggrieved parties to lodge a complaint with JSC.
“The JSC wishes to reaffirm the independence and integrity of the Judiciary as a co-equal arm of government, as enshrined in the Constitution and urges all Judges and Judicial Officers to continue performing their judicial duties without fear or favour. The Judiciary should live up to the constitutional edict, in Article 160(1), that safeguards the exercise of judicial authority,” Koome said.
“Attacking judges and Judicial Officers who made a decision in public undermines all the values of our Constitutional order. Such attacks or comments when made on matters which are pending before any court also violate the sub judice imperative which is a rule of law," she added.
