Miguna responds to Ruto's 'threats' against Judiciary

By Peter Ochieng

Lawyer Joshua Miguna Miguna is against president William Ruto's continued 'threats,' directed to the judiciary and judicial officers.

In a statement on his X (formerly Twitter) page, Miguna said without the judiciary, Ruto would not be Head of State in the first place.

Ruto assumed office as president in September, 2022 after the Supreme Court dismissed opposition petition against his presidential election win.

"I say no! Stop threatening the judiciary. Remember that without the judiciary, you wouldn’t be president. You can’t pretend to protect the independence of the judiciary through threats. If you know thieves stealing public money, let us see them charged, tried and convicted. However, we say no to autocracy!" wrote the vocal lawyer, who enjoys massive following on social media.

"Let me give President @WilliamsRuto a free but important advice: Stop threatening the judiciary. Stop threatening Kenyan litigants. Yes, there is corruption in every sector of the Kenyan society, including at @StateHouseKenya where you reside and work. These need to be dealt with in accordance with the law. Not through threats or extrajudicial means," he added.

He urged him not to listen to political sycophants, whom he equated to 'enemies of the people.'

"Don’t listen to sycophants urging you to wield the sword. Those are autocratic enemies of the people. Restrain yourself. Don’t become a tyrant!"

"We have many lawful mechanisms of bringing about structural transformation of the Kenyan society. Use them. We have a plethora of strategies and tactics of wresting grand corruption in Kenya. But autocratic means are not among them. Avoid autocracy and those urging you to make the wrong turn, because we still have enough patriotic Kenyans prepared and ready to sacrifice their lives in defense of the constitution, democracy and the rule of law," added Miguna.

Speaking on Tuesday, president Ruto said some powerful persons had taken captive some judicial officers to frustrate efforts by his administration, to implement programs aimed at transforming the lives of Kenyans.

“We are a democracy. We respect and we will protect the independence of the judiciary. What we will not allow is judicial tyranny and judiciary impunity. That will not happen,” he warned.

He was also categorical that some judges were working in cahoots with individuals, so as frustrate his development agenda, especially in the health sector.