David Maraga hits back at 'threats' over Kenya election re-run
Threats against Kenya's judiciary are increasing after a Supreme Court ruling to invalidate President Uhuru Kenyatta's win in last month's election, the chief justice says.
The "savage" demonstrations are "intended to intimidate the judiciary", David Maraga said in a statement.
The "savage" demonstrations are "intended to intimidate the judiciary", David Maraga said in a statement.
It comes as riot police fired tear gas at supporters of Mr Kenyatta amid protests outside the Supreme Court.
The court set a new election date of 17 October after citing irregularities.
However, on Monday the French IT firm which supplied the electronic voting system said it would struggle to be ready in time.
The court set a new election date of 17 October after citing irregularities.
However, on Monday the French IT firm which supplied the electronic voting system said it would struggle to be ready in time.
On Tuesday, Mr Kenyatta said the election "must be done within 60 days"
in accordance with the constitution, adding that it should be conducted
by Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
This is an unprecedented stand from Kenya's judiciary, which has been under attack from the political elite in recent weeks.
It
is being seen as a response to critics of the landmark Supreme Court
ruling that invalidated the re-election of Uhuru Kenyatta, and the
president's threat to "fix the judiciary" if he wins the repeat polls
next month.
The statement will only bolster David Maraga's
reputation for bravery and integrity in the eyes of many Kenyans, albeit
maybe not supporters of the president.
The Supreme Court gave a
60-day deadline for the election re-run but a mixture of political
posturing and logistical challenges have put this deadline at risk.
Opposition
leader Raila Odinga has launched a full-throttled campaign for the
sacking of electoral commission officials whom it blames for bungling
the election.
While a petition has been filed against two Supreme
Court judges, accusing them of professional misconduct for allegedly
being in touch with lawyers representing Mr Odinga during the election
case.
Legal experts say that the hardline stance by both
candidates, in addition to a myriad of logistical challenges, leaves the
country hurling towards a constitutional crisis if the repeat polls are
not held by the 1 November deadline.
In response to the latest demonstrations, Mr Maraga
said that he and other members of the legal body which selects judges
were "prepared to pay the ultimate price to protect the constitution and
the rule of law".
His strongly-worded statement,
which was made on behalf of the Judicial Service Network, condemned the
"unlawful" acts of some of the demonstrators, which he said were
"savage in nature".
His statement also accused police chief
Joseph Boinnet of not providing adequate security to judiciary staff,
suggesting that he "repeatedly ignored calls to act, exposing judicial
officers, property and litigants in danger".
National police
spokesman George Kinoti said he would await further details of the chief
justice's criticism before responding, Reuters news agency reports.
Kenya's
election commission initially declared Mr Kenyatta, 55, the winner by a
margin of 1.4 million votes but the result was immediately challenged
in court by his nearest rival, opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Mr
Maraga later said that the 8 August election had not been conducted in
accordance with the constitution, declaring it "null and void".
Mr
Odinga, 72, said the ruling marked "a historic day for the people of
Kenya and by extension for the people of the continent of Africa".
However
Mr Kenyatta's supporters have accused the Supreme Court of issuing an
illegal judgment, arguing that the court should have ordered a recount
of the votes.
The ruling did not attribute any blame to Mr Kenyatta's party or campaign.
Western diplomats have expressed their concern at the rising tensions in Kenya, urging politicians not to incite violence.
BBC
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