A day after former Prime Minister Raila Odinga accused President William Ruto of trying to take the country back to the dark days of the Kanu regime, the president has responded, telling the opposition chief to keep off.
In a Twitter post, President Ruto said that under his administration, the rule of law will have a say, and not the wishes of big men.
The president termed Mr Odinga as among the lords of impunity, who destroyed oversight institutions “using handshake fraud”.
“The lords of impunity, who destroyed oversight institutions using the handshake fraud, should allow parliament to hold rogue officials who put the nation in danger by subverting the democratic will of the people to be held to account. The new order is RULE of LAW not wishes of big men,” President Ruto said.
Moments later, Mr Odinga replied to the tweet, saying: “There is due process and natural justice, things aren’t just done at the whims of the executive. The rule of law must prevail and not your jungle laws that you want to institute so as to subjugate Kenyans to a conveyor belt system of elections come 2027. We shall not relent.”
There is due process and natural justice, things aren't just done at the whims of the executive.
The rule of law must prevail and not your jungle laws that you want to institute so as to subjugate Kenyans to a conveyor belt system of elections come 2027.
We shall not relent. https://t.co/wraA8Ocbul
— Raila Odinga (@RailaOdinga) November 25, 2022
On Thursday, Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition leader Mr Odinga termed the ongoing hearing to remove the four defiant commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission (IEBC) unconstitutional.
On Thursday, the National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs Committee started the hearing of a petition seeking the removal of the four IEBC commissioners who defied the outcome of the presidential election results.
Doing the opposite
He added that they have been giving the President and his team time to put things in order but he has been doing the opposite.
“No one should lie to this regime that we will sit back and watch a return of the Nyayo regime by another name. If deepening and widening the divisions among Kenyans is what the UDA regime wants, we will only be too happy to help them along that path,” Mr Odinga charged.
“The injustice being inflicted on the four IEBC commissioners, if it proceeds as currently conceived, will mark the beginning of a massive pushback against Ruto and those who think like him… We will openly and robustly lead that pushback,” Mr Odinga.
IEBC vice chairperson Juliana Cherera, and commissioners Irene Masit, Francis Wanderi, and Justus Nyang’aya are being questioned following their dissenting opinion on the final presidential results, which coincidentally echoed the decision of the Azimio coalition in rejecting President Ruto’s win.
Mr Odinga asked the government to focus on issues that are facing Kenyans at the moment, and leave out the four commissioners to serve.
“Article 259 of our Constitution states (that) a member of a commission or the holder of an independent office is not liable to anything done in good faith in the performance of the function of the office,” Mr Raila said.
The three Azimio leaders including Mr Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper Democratic Movement leader), and Narc Kenya leader Ms Martha Karua attended the petition hearing at the County Hall as a show of solidarity with the four commissioners.
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