Political scientist Prof Mutahi Ngunyi has claimed that Chief Justice David Maraga is plotting to kick out President Uhuru Kenyatta by dissolving parliament.
In a tweet on Thursday, the controversial analyst claimed that the CJ is keen to use the gender rule constitutional requirement to send the executive and parliament home.
"This #NationMediaGarbage is not organic. It has a sponsor. What we should be talking about is the Maraga speech at Oxford. This man will dissolve parliament over the gender rule. And with the same stroke, he will send Uhuru home! The civilian coup never died," he claimed.
On Tuesday at Oxford University, the CJ accused the Executive and Parliament of being the 'enemy of Kenyans', arguing that they have both conspired to frustrate implementation of the Constitution.
“Left on their own the legislative and executive arms of government, comprising mainly politicians and social elites, will implement the Constitution in an arbitrary manner, cherry-picking the easier and non-contentious provisions, always safeguarding their personal or sectarian interests. That is exactly what they have done in Kenya,” said Maraga as quoted by the Standard.
Justice Maraga spoke at the Oxford Union Conference in the UK dubbed: ‘The quest for constitutionalism in Africa: a reflection on the interface between institutions, leadership and faith.’
During his address, Maraga faulted Parliament for the delay in implementation of the two-thirds gender rule. The constitutional timeline is already over. The rule requires that not more than two-thirds of either gender can occupy State offices.
“Three examples will suffice — failure to implement the gender equality principle under the Kenyan Constitution, failure to fight corruption and impunity and failure to hold credible elections,” said Maraga.
The law allows the Chief Justice to dissolve parliament if such fundamental aspects are not adhered to. Should he dissolve it, Kenyans will be forced to go back to the ballot.
Also, Maraga accused the government of failing to account for one-third of the national government budget, arguing that it goes to corrupt cartels.
"Although 80 per cent of Kenyans are Christians, with a fair percentage professing Muslim, Hindu and other faiths, over one-third of the national budget is lost to corruption every year,” he added.
In 2017, Maraga chaired the bench which nullified Uhuru's victory, a move that irked the Head of State, prompting him to threaten 'fixing' the Judiciary.