Chief Justice David Maraga has responded to claims by President Uhuru Kenyatta that the judiciary was responsible for issuing lenient bail conditions for corruption suspects.
The Head of State stated that the move was derailing the fight against corruption. In response, Maraga stated that the courts only grant bail on merit depending on the case presented by the prosecution desk.
“Bail is a constitutional right, but even if it is a Constitutional right it is not given just freely. It will depend on other circumstances… So the president is entitled to his own opinion,” said Justice Maraga.
“There is no challenge, there is no small fish there is no big fish once we have evidence we will deal with those cases, what we are waiting for is the DPP to bring us evidence.”
He made the remarks during a church service at the Kamiti Maximum Prison.
Speaking on Wednesday during the Jamhuri Day celebration, President Uhuru warned the judiciary against issuing simple bail terms to corruption suspects.
As part of his legacy, President Uhuru Kenyatta has launched a war on corruption. Already a number of high profile individuals have been prosecuted in regards to various corruption cases.