The ones who was hearing the speech of outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta shouldn’t be surprised that he doesn’t care much for the Supreme Court. The same man called it a Coup d’Etat when it did overturn or rule in favour of Raila Odinga in 2017 Presidential Election Petition. That’s why the state held a second Presidential Election that year before he was sworn into a second term. Therefore, we know he despise the Courts.
Kenyatta is a man who has defied Court Orders. He hasn’t favoured the Judiciary or cared much for it. The independence of the Judiciary has blocked his legislation or important parts of his governing. The Courts has really created trouble for him and that’s because Kenyatta haven’t cared to follow protocol or do it after the 2010 Constitution.
So, when I heard he questioned the Supreme Court ruling today. It follows a pattern. Just like Miguna Miguna is still in Canada. Even after he won the rights to return back to Kenya in the Courts. That’s the sort of rule Kenyatta has aspired too and how he cares about the Courts.
What was most striking in his 7 minutes address was this:
“For this is the civic duty of every single Kenyan. In particular, this civic duty requires every citizen to constantly put the truth presented by our constitutional institutions to test. And they must test them for coherence but also for correspondence. They must constantly scrutinize the coherence of the truth given by these institutions and to ask themselves whether the truth has been coherent from one election to another. Has there been a consistent pattern that is acceptable toward democratic ethos? We must ask ourselves is it about numbers or is it about process? Which of these two is it? And can our institutions rule one way in one election and another way in another election without scrutiny? I do invite you Kenyans to keep vigil and, indeed, hold all institutions to account. The second thing we must place under scrutiny is whether the truth given by institutions has correspondence – that is, do the truths given by our institutions correspond with what is observable by the citizens. True beliefs and true judgments must correspond to the actual state of affairs. But do our constitutional institutions meet this threshold? While we must appreciate these institutions, we must also hold them to account at every juncture and their truth has to be consistent and coherent. This is the only way we will build our democracy” (Uhuru Kenyatta, 05.09.2022).
No one should be shocked or in awe by this. Neither should anyone be worried that Kenyatta didn’t congratulate President-Elect William Ruto. Well, Kenyatta wanted his heir to win and that wasn’t happening. Neither did the Azimio prove that there was rigging going on or had evidence or proof, which proved that there. Therefore, Kenyatta has is now questioning the Supreme Court in 2022.
No one should be concerned by this. Especially when Kenyatta dismissed the Supreme Court for their judgment in 2017. We all know he did that back-then and no again the same Court gave an unfavourable ruling, yet again. Kenyatta is showing his disdain and throws the insinuation of doubts. Because it didn’t go in his favour.
We know Kenyatta is sad that the BBI was dismissed and other rulings has gone against him. That’s why we know the man isn’t the sort of fellow who loves or praises the Courts. He prefers getting it his way and the Supreme Court isn’t the place for that. This is why he speaks like this.
That he dismiss and is disgruntled over the Supreme Court judgment isn’t anything new. If he was himself on the ballot. He would have called this a putsch or a coup d’etat. Uhuru Kenyatta is just himself and it’s far from revolutionary… but more reactionary, which is what his know for. Peace.
MinBane 