Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has threatened to take legal action against a judge who declared his KSh 200 million property ‘proceeds of crime’.
Speaking during a church service at Iten Sports Ground on Sunday, January 14, the country’s second in command said he will be seeking the removal from office of High Court Judge Esther Maina.
Gachagua, known to many as a truthful man said he has evidence linking Maina to corruption.
“On Thursday, January 18, this coming week, at 2:15 pm I will personally present a petition before Lady Chief Justice Martha Koome against Justice Esther Maina for her removal from the judiciary for misconduct and corruption,” the DP stated.
Gachagua’s move comes just days after Chief Justice Martha Koome last week asked the executive to file their complaints to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) for processing.
“We are ready to process any complaint against any judge or judicial officer who is implicated in corruption or any other act of misconduct. However, such a complaint must be lodged and processed in the manner prescribed by the Constitution. Days are gone when officers were hounded out of office through name-calling,” she stated.
Koome was responding to President William Ruto who has in the recent past sustained an all-out war on the Judiciary since the year began.
Ruto said some unnamed judges are working with the opposition to delay key government projects like a housing fund and universal healthcare initiatives which the court slammed brakes.
As such, the Head of State threatened to disobey some court orders that may be made against his Kenya Kwanza policies.
“It is not possible that we respect the judiciary while a few individuals who are beneficiaries of corruption are using corrupt judicial officials to block our development projects,” Ruto said.
