President William Ruto has termed as baseless claims that his administration has embarked on a revenge mission against those who opposed it in the August 9 General Election.
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition leader Raila Odinga has termed as political witch-hunt the ongoing hearing of two petitions seeking the ouster of four dissenting IEBC Commissioners.
However, in a Twitter post, President Ruto was categorical that the rule of law must prevail against Commissioners who tried to subvert the will of the people.
“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. New order is RULE of LAW not wishes of big men,” the Head of State responded to the Opposition.
Moments later, the former Prime Minister hit back saying they will not relent in advocating for due process.
“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,” maintained Raila who is also the ODM party leader.
He spoke even as the hearing of the two petitions entered day two on Friday.
The hearings that begun on Thursday are being conducted by the National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee.
Raila, his former running mate in the last election Martha Karua and Wiper Democratic Movement leader Kalonzo Musyoka on Thursday followed proceedings in the mini-chambers as MPs laid the ground rules on how the hearings will be conducted.
The leaders however walked out after a ruling was made by a majority of the committee members upholding the jurisdiction of the committee to hear the matter.
The Republican Liberty Party and Rev. Dennis Ndwiga Nthumbi who are the petitioners want the four IEBC commissioners Juliana Cherera, Julius Nyang’aya, Irene Massit and Francis Wanderi shown the door on grounds of violation of the constitution and other laws; gross misconduct, and incompetence.
Christened as the “Cherera Four,” the four commissioners disowned the presidential results announced by IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati terming them as opaque.
They will on Monday and Tuesday next week have a date with members of the Gitonga Murugara led committee where they will defend themselves against accusations leveled against them.
The 2010 Constitution provides that IEBC commissioners can only be removed from office through a petition presented before the National Assembly and a tribunal formed by the sitting President.
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