Central Organization for Trade Union (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has cautioned William Ruto’s camp against attacking Chief Justice Martha Koome.
This comes just a day after UDA, a party that Deputy President William Ruto has openly associated with wrote a formal complaint to the Chief Justice urging her to keep off management of elections.
But speaking at a COTU meeting in Kisumu on Thursday, November 25, the vocal unionist defended the Chief Justice’s political activity claiming that it is her constitutional obligation to engage in politics in order to provide legal advice.
“I want to ask my friends in UDA They should just keep on campaigning but they should not interfere with the roles of the Chief Justice. The chief Justice has only one vote,” Francis Atwoli.
Atwoli said he believes that Koome’s active engagement in the preparations for the 2022 General Election will go a long way in preventing post-election violence.
“I ask our politicians to not interfere with the roles of the Chief Justice. Because if the chief Justice cannot participate to make sure that there will be a peaceful election, wait until when people are fighting is when you’re calling upon her judging when it is too late,” he added.
On Wednesday, November 24, UDA Secretary-General Veronica Maina in a letter addressed to Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) urged the Chef Justice to henceforth stop, abandon, desist, refrain and cease participating in the preparations for the 2022 elections.
She argued that Koome’s role as the President of the Supreme Court creates a clear case of conflict of interest since the Chief Justice is constitutionally required to act as an arbiter in election petitions.
“It is our submission that your continued involvement in the Technical Working Committee is likely to interfere with and shall threaten free and fair elections come 2022,” Maina said.
