Two Jubilee leaders have called on their party to stop
infringing the judiciary independence by failing to adhere to court orders and
issuing threatening statements to the judicial officials. Meru senator Mithika
Linturi and Buuri MP Mugambi Rindikiri said both the government and the
opposition should uphold the independence of the judiciary.
Senator Linturi said the government should also abide by the
high court ruling over the deportation of self-proclaimed National Resistant
Movement general Miguna Miguna. The duo who addressed the media in Meru town,
also accused their party secretary general Raphael Tuju for what they said he
was painting the party in bad light by issuing threatening statement to the
judiciary.
Senator Linturi said the government should also abide by the
high court ruling over the deportation of self-proclaimed National Resistant
Movement general Miguna Miguna. The duo who addressed the media in Meru town,
also accused their party secretary general Raphael Tuju for what they said he
was painting the party in bad light by issuing threatening statement to the
judiciary. They disowned the sentiments made by Tuju after he accused the chief
Justice David Maraga and the judiciary of poor leadership, bias, impunity and
double standards.
Linturi said statements made by Tuju in a letter addressed
to the chief justice, should be taken as his own opinion and the Jubilee party
should not be dragged into it. “If there is anybody who would want to mess up a
country is someone who wants to create an impression that the president party
is trying to interfere with the judiciary in my view that is wrong and l do not
associate myself to such careless and reckless statements,” Linturi said.
“Anybody who comes with ideas that can compromise the
independence and the respect of the judiciary right now is an enemy of the
people of Kenya,” he added. The leaders said they met with President Uhuru
Kenyatta in state house on Tuesday and they did not deliberate on issuing any statement
in regard to the working of the judiciary. At the same time the leaders asked
the top police officers and other state officers served with court orders to
stop undermining the court and uphold the rule of law.
“My take is that we,
must respect the rule of law, and we see many people are trying to hijack the
judiciary which we should oppose,” Rindikiri said. Linturi asked the court to
ignore any statements of intimidation directed towards it. “Personally l wants
to encourage the judiciary and tell the courts that they should not accept or
bungle from any form of intimidation from any quarter, because the judicial
authority of the courts is founded of the constitution,” Linturi added.
