John Adoyi, PBA Journalism Mentee
Raila Odinga, the presidential candidate of the Azimio opposition party in the August 9 Kenya presidential election has called out judges of the Supreme Court following the judgment that threw out his petition and upheld the victory of William Ruto.
Odinga made the comment on Friday during a meeting of the opposition party to make plans on how to work in Kenya’s parliament. Odinga said the Justice Martha Koome-led Supreme Court has judges with thuggery mentality.
“We have noticed the attitude, the thuggery, the corruption… the words Supreme Court used against us have never been used even in the dark days of single party rule and state capture of the Judiciary,” Odinga said.
Speaking on the expressions used by the apex court judges to describe the petition Odinga, the 77 year old veteran politician said that through experience, whenever judges resort to using nonjudicial language, it is because of a disturbed conscience and “evidence of a court that sold its soul.”
Chief Justice Koome while reading out the summary of the Supreme Court’s decision had described the petition of Mr. Odinga and his party as no more than hot air, a wild goose chase, incredible and hearsay evidence.
“We have been here before, we have come from a Judiciary that invested in threats and humiliation of litigants and advocates so that the country will not question them,” Odinga further alleged.
Odinga also said he will wait for the full verdict, slated for September 21, to know why the Apex court decided to make such “despicable judgment.”
Mr. Odinga had earlier said he doesn’t agree with the Supreme Court’s verdict but he would respect it.
Meanwhile, Ruto has been sworn in as the new president of the East African country in an event that took place on Monday.
