President Uhuru’s tribal remarks during his tour of Nyamira turn ugly as Judicial Service Commission takes action

The head of state played tribal politics during his tour of Nyamira County in a bid to woo Kisii people to re-elect him for a second term. His move is now haunting him.

During his visit to Nyamira county last month, President Uhuru Kenyatta asked residents to give him another term in office saying that his government had given ‘their son’ a job, referring to Chief Justice David Maraga.

The head of state said that Maraga, Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and Central Bank of Kenya chairman Mohamed Nyaoga were appointed because the government had  Kisii people’s interests at heart.

President Uhuru Kenyatta greets locals during his tour of Nyamira County

The president’s worrisome remarks have made the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and the Chief Justice himself to blast him – both issued a statement on Monday in regard to what he said in Nyamira.

“This could have been misconstrued to imply a political hand in the appointment of the Chief Justice. There is neither room nor opportunity for the president to discharge this function in a political manner. Any implication, deliberate or inadvertent, that the appointment of the CJ was part of a political scheme is a grave distortion of law and fact. The Judiciary, in exercise of its authority, is only subject to the constitution and the law, and not to any person or authority,” JSC secretary Anne Amadi said in a statement.

Chief Justice David Maraga

“I have restrained myself from responding to these false statements so as not to give them undue prominence or credence. However, they continue to be claimed and peddled around as if they are the truth, and in total disregard of their corrosive effect on the perception of the independence of the Judiciary. My office requires me to be apolitical, and I have not and will never involve myself in any political activity. I am not a Chief Justice of a community or a county but the head of the Judiciary of the republic of Kenya. I took an oath dedicated to serve all irrespective of their, social, economic or political status. I would urge other players in the political and media scene to help me in this regard and refrain from making statements or reports that wrongly project me and the Judiciary as partisan,” CJ David Maraga said in a statement.

 

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