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Opposition chief Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party has criticised President William Ruto’s attack on the Judiciary.

The Orange party argued that President Ruto’s scheme is to have a weak Judiciary, weak national institutions and weak scrutiny of his regime. This is after Ruto maintained his attack on the Judiciary calling out without tabling any evidence that there is a section of the judicial officers who are corrupt and could be working in cahoots with some litigants to derail his transformative agenda.

In a statement signed by ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, the party stated that Ruto’s presidency is hinged on a judgment by the Supreme Court after the August 2022 polls which were disputed by the opposition, civil society groups and individual Kenyans.

Upheld election victory

The Supreme Court in a landmark ruling delivered in August 2022 upheld President Ruto and his Deputy Rigathi Gachagua’s win in one of the most fiercely contested presidential elections in Kenya’s history.

“Ruto’s presidency is hinged on a judgement that essentially makes it a “product” of the courts”. You would imagine that Ruto would have both the magnanimity and the good sense to extend goodwill, or at the very least, to leave constitutional organs to function without attempting to emasculate them,” said Sifuna.

According to the Nairobi Senator, the recent utterances by the President, threatening the independence of the judiciary, however, will not surprise those who know and understand him, his history and his politics.

“It is obviously in the interest of President Ruto to have a weak judiciary, weak national institutions and weak scrutiny on his regime. We are here to remind him that the judiciary remains the last line of defense for Kenyans, against his aristocracy,” he said.

The Orange party argued that the constitutional gains the country has made cannot be wiped away overnight on the whims of one individual.

Damaging image

Sifuna argued that his repeated unsubstantiated allegations against the Judiciary are damaging the image of the country in the community of Kenyans.

“As he burns taxpayer money jetting around the world purportedly seeking foreign investors, it’s lost on him what these grave allegations and his threats to disobey court orders do to the psyche of anyone thinking of investing here.”

He went on: “Investors will not put their money where they know orders of a court will not be respected in the event of a dispute regarding their investment. We appeal to Kenyans to remain awake and alert against the return of dictatorship and greed that we had defeated in the past by our resilience and resolve as a nation.”

President Ruto while on a development tour of his political backyard in Uasin Gishu county, accused rivals of colluding with the courts to sabotage his administration’s agenda.

“We respect the independence of the Judiciary but that does not constitute sabotaging public interest. There are rights enshrined in Article 43 of the Constitution. I will not part with even a shilling to bribe the judicial officers,” said President Ruto.

While defending the Housing and the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programmes, the Head of State vowed to weed out corruption in the Judiciary, adding that those challenging his plans do not have the interest of Kenyans at heart.

Last week, Chief Justice and Judicial Service Commission (JSC) chair Martha Koome, Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA) and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) came to the defense of the Judiciary after President Ruto vowed that he would defy Court Orders.