The words of President William Ruto during his inauguration on September 13, 2022 on the state of the Judiciary are still afresh in the minds of many Kenyans.

“To consolidate the place of the Judiciary in our constitutional and democratic dispensation, my administration will respect judicial decisions while we cement the place of Kenya as a country anchored on democracy and the rule of law,” the newly sworn-in President declared then.

The President-elect had showered accolades to the Judiciary after the Supreme Court upheld his election victory, describing it as the epitome of professionalism, impartiality, patriotism and rule of law. But a year later, President Ruto has made a 360-degree turn and fomented a distaste for the Judiciary.

The Head of State and his men have been on an offensive against the Judiciary, not only describing it as a corrupt institution and even declared that he will defy all court orders which he says are meant to derail his government agenda.

Ruto has accused some unnamed judges of being bribed to issue rulings and orders against policies and projects initiated by his administration.

These are very serious pronouncements that cannot be taken lightly. As the chief executive, the President is privy to high level confidential information, sourced from various arms of the government, both intelligence and investigative, and therefore any word from his mouth counts a lot.

One of the most dramatic early actions of President Mwai Kibaki Government was the the so-called “radical surgery” on the Judiciary driven by then Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Kiraitu Murungi.

Whether President Kibaki’s bold move was a success or not, the jury is still out but the general feeling within the legal circles has been that the purge was unfortunately used by some influential elements to destroy their opponents through charges of witch-hunt and score-settling.

As it was pointed out by Chief Justice Martha Koome yesterday, the President, like any other Kenyan, should address his grievances using the available constitutional channels.

The President’s attacks on the Judiciary and threats to defy court orders are therefore ill-advised, and a recipe for anarchy.