President Uhuru Kenyatta. [Photo/ PSCU]
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s decision to show his displeasure with the ruling of the Supreme Court last week, which invalidated his election victory because of someone else’s mistakes, has given some fading politicians in the opposition something to talk about. As the third respondent in the petition, the Supreme Court found President Kenyatta not guilty of any wrongdoing during the election period. And still the court went ahead to punish him for mistakes allegedly done by IEBC.The Judiciary is not immune to criticism. Any Kenyan who feels robbed or treated unfairly has a right to be heard. At the court hearing, not once did the opposition challenge President Kenyatta votes, which were more than 1.4 million when compared to Raila’s.
As the dissenting judges argued, mere administrative mistakes do not amount to grounds for nullifying a nationwide general election. Especially when numbers are not disputed. The president has made it clear that although he disagrees with the Supreme Court ruling, he respects it. That is why he is already out campaigning again. When Raila Odinga lost at the court in 2013, he heavily criticized the court, calling it a ‘fake court’ (‘mahakama bandia’). It must be remembered that it is President Kenyatta who appointed David Maraga the chief justice from a list of shortlisted candidates. The head of state’s opinion of Maraga’s ruling does not mean he has an issue with the Abagusii people, who voted for him overwhelmingly in August. “We have no problem with the people of Kisii and Nyamira. We disagree with the ruling of the court, not the community,” said President Kenyatta on Tuesday.