Chief Justice Martha Koome has condemned President William Ruto’s blatant disregard for court orders and his sustained onslaught on the judiciary.
President William Ruto has in the recent past been locked in a row with the judiciary accusing a section of judges of corruption and threatening to disobey court orders restricting his flagship 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,” the president said.
However, on Monday, January 15, Chief Justice Martha Koome termed President Ruto’s declaration to disobey court orders as ‘regrettable’.
Addressing a media conference by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), Martha Koome said threats against the Judiciary from the Executive are extremely serious and a monumental assault on the Constitution.
“It is regrettable that the leadership of the executive and legislature in their recent public declarations has threatened not to obey court orders,
“These threats and declarations are extremely serious and a monumental assault on the Constitution, the rule of law, and the very stability of the nation and can lead to chaos and anarchy in our motherland,” she said.
The CJ warned that if President Ruto’s disregard for court orders is allowed to continue, the country will be plunged into a constitutional crisis.
“The declaration that they will no longer obey Court Orders and the subsequent actual defiance of the orders granted by the courts are untenable and amount to contempt of court,
“Allowed to continue unabated, we are on the precipice of a constitutional crisis that can lead to untold civil strife. The Judiciary and JSC cannot countenance this and will not be part of it,” she added.
