CJ Koome put on spot with question on Ruto during US interview
CJ Koome put on spot during an interview with a US journalist after she was asked about Ruto over the Supreme court ruling
CJ Koome put on spot during an interview with a US journalist after she was asked about Ruto over the Supreme court ruling.
Chief Justice Martha Koome was cornered after she was asked whether President William Ruto would have accepted the Supreme Court decision on the Presidential petition had he lost.
On Friday, December 9, Koome was questioned by American journalist Steve Clemons about whether she thought the Kenya Kwanza side would have contested her decision if it had been made in favor of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Clemons pointed out that Raila acknowledged the decision but disagreed with it and further criticized the judiciary.
“If the numbers were reversed and suppose Ruto received 48 percent and Odinga 51 percent, do you believe that the belief in the institution and the strength of the court would have been respected in that category as well?” he posed.
On her side, CJ Koome was hesitant to answer the question, concurring with Clemons that it was indeed hypothetical.
“The problem with judges is that we do not answer hypothetical questions, we deal with real problems,” she responded.
Despite her reluctance to address the analogy, the American journalist kept pushing to get a response from the CJ.
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“You were a little political when you were younger and advocated for reforms,” Clemons insisted.
“20 years I go I became a judge. I just deal with evidence and I pronounce myself according to evidence and I am very reluctant to deal with hypothetical questions,” the CJ maintained.
On the other hand, Koome underpinned the need to have an independent Judiciary, noting that their decisions were not influenced by the Executive.
“As a court, we are not influenced externally by anybody in the name of the Executive or any other authority.
‘We follow the law. We follow the 2010 Constitution and the evidence brought before us to make a decision,” she stated.
The Azimio La Umoja leader lamented that the verdict used to nullify his election petition was too political, citing an attack on his battery of lawyers.
In his subsequent addresses, Raila claimed that the Judiciary was enticed by Ruto’s offer to effect and increase the Judiciary Fund.
Also read,
How Ruto prevailed upon Raila Odinga to cancel his parallel Jamhuri day event
State to introduce Certificate of Green Conduct to access government services
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