The Kenya Kwanza onslaught on the Judiciary has intensified after the Court of Appeal termed President William Ruto’s housing levy unconstitutional, barely a week after the Head of State met with the Chief Justice Martha Koome.
Yesterday, the Appellate court agreed with the High Court that President Ruto’s housing levy is unconstitutional, a ruling that has since angered leaders from the Kenya Kwanza camp.
Speaking in Meru County on Saturday after accompanying President Ruto for the launch of a number of projects, the Majority leader in the National Assembly Kimani Ichung’wah threatened that the Judiciary budget will be slashed and that money used to run the policies the judges are ruling against.
Ichung’wah wondered how the judges expects the government to collect taxes to pay their salaries and in turn create jobs for the youth if they are hell-bent on dismissing Ruto’s policies.
“Those of us serving in the Judiciary and even in the Legislature should remember that we have a cardinal responsibility to ensure that we take care of the Kenyan youth through job creation.”
“Your Excellency, what we are seeing today has nothing to do with the independence of the Judiciary, what we are witnessing is Judiciary overreach. Judiciary is now sabotaging the work of the Executive and the Legislature and the jobs created for the millions of youth.”
“Be firm Your Excellency, even to those judges. We know that you had a meeting with these people and agreed to allocate them more resources through the budget. But how will that be if they are the ones blocking you from collecting revenue? I think when that budget comes to parliament we will cut some of that money,” said Ichung’wah.
Listen to Ichung’wah from minute 5.