Deputy President William Ruto and his team started an attack on Chief Justice Martha Koome yesterday for her role in the General Election preparations for next year.
Justice Koome is a member of a technical working group on election preparation that includes representatives from various government departments.
Ruto and his supporters want Koome to resign from the committee, claiming that it jeopardizes her position as Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court, in a two-pronged effort that includes public rallies and a protest letter.
The United Democratic Alliance (UDA), through its secretary-general Veronica Maina, argued that because Koome is the head of the Judiciary and sits on the Supreme Court, which decides presidential election disputes.
Her participation in the team, which includes representatives from the electoral body, the Interior, Treasury, and Information and Communication Technology ministries, and the Attorney General’s office, jeopardize the chances of a free and fair election.
“You are wearing the hat of those that are required to ensure all is set for elections, in this case being the IEBC, and thereafter you shall wear the hat of a judge and deliberate and determine any ensuing election dispute”.
Justice Koome however has declined to comment on the letter, saying she was yet to be formally served.
At the Kenya School of Government on Tuesday, Koome presided over a meeting of the National Multi-Agency Consultative Forum on Election Preparedness, which addressed the 2022 elections budget and produced a report on how to ensure the polls free, fair, and credible.
