Kenya's Chief Justice David Maraga has come out to lay bare the
frustration his office and the entire Judiciary have been suffering at
the hands of the Executive arm of government led by President Uhuru
Kenyatta.
A visibly angry Maraga, in a televised
address to the nation from the foot of the Supreme Court in Nairobi on
Monday, revealed an alleged secret plot by the Executive to remove him
from office before December 31.
“Some CSs (Cabinet secretaries) are saying I will go before the year ends, kumbe hii Kenya ina wenyewe (apparently Kenya has real owners)?" Judge Maraga, who wore a wry smile intermittently, said.
He
accused the National Treasury of unfairly targeting courts in its
austerity measures as budgets for Parliament and the Executive keep
growing.
"The chief justice has no
Mercedes car, we were told its wastage, yet the two Speakers of the
national assembly have them," he said as explained as he explained how
he has been forced to accord visiting dignitaries, including CJs,
wanting transport.
Since 2014, the Judiciary budget has been shrinking and this year, it received a paltry 0.69 per cent of the national budget.
“But as the Judiciary budget is declining,
workload is rising,” he said as he issued an order to the Chief
Registrar of the Judiciary.
“Moving
forward, Judiciary budget estimates will be taken to Parliament and not
Treasury We cannot continue begging for what belongs to us,” he said.
He
decried sustained contemptuously treatment by the executive in office
communication, during state functions and other public places including
local airports where he is denied admission to VIP lounges.
“I
will now choose which State functions to attend as I'm always treated
contemptuously like it happened during Mashujaa Day, where my presence
was not even acknowledged,” he said.
In office
communication, Justice Maraga said he has been receiving letters signed
by clerks on behalf of Cabinet secretaries and principal secretaries.
“That is the level they have reduced me to...I have shredded many of such letters,” he said.
“That is the level they have reduced me to...I have shredded many of such letters,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment