Kenya judges slam Kenyatta’s ‘veiled threats’
President lashes out at courts after election ruling
KENYAN judges have slammed the “veiled threats” made by President Uhuru Kenyatta after the judiciary overturned his election on the grounds that it was flawed.
Calling it “an assault on the judiciary”, the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA) on Satu asked people to ignore “political rhetoric”. “The president of this country referred to the president of the supreme court and the other judges as wakora , or crooks in Swahili,” it said.
“He went on to make veiled threats against the same judges based on their decision. The same threats against the judiciary have been repeated at State House,” said KMJA leader Bryan Khaemba, referring to the presidential palace.
“We condemn this assault on the decisional independence of the honourable judges,” he said.
Chief Justice David Maraga on Friday declared Kenyatta’s victory in the August 8 polls “invalid, null and void”, pointing to widespread irregularities in the electronic transmission of vote results.
An enraged Kenyatta said he respected the decision but lashed out against the judges, saying: “Every time we do something a judge comes out and places an injunction. It can’t go on like this ... there is a problem and we must fix it. [Justice] Maraga thinks he can overturn the will of the people. We shall show you ... that the will of the people cannot be overturned by a few people.” On Friday, he slammed the judges as “crooks”.
This is the first time a presidential election result has been overturned in Africa and the decision has been welcomed by Kenyatta’s challenger Raila Odinga, who has lost elections in 1997, 2007 and 2013. Odinga, however, said he had no faith in the national election commission, which is tasked with organising a new round of elections within 60 days.
Kenyan media have hailed the ruling as a hard-fought victory for the rule of law. — AFP