Atwoli to Ruto: Help us change constitution to tame people running to court
President William Ruto with COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli during the 56th International Labour Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi.
Speaking on Sunday in Kakamega during a church service attended by President William Ruto, Atwoli asked the President to consider having some sections of the constitution changed so that he can have a free hand in doing government projects.
"We want you to help us change the constitution of Kenya. Because whenever you want to bring us any project some people run to court to stop them. Yet it is a national government project. If someone kills you today, he goes to court, gets a bond and will brag that I have killed this one," Atwoli said.
"We need to go back and look at those sections of the constitution that will hold you back for five years and you won't deliver the promises you made to us," he added.
Atwoli said the Western Kenya region is now fully inside the Kenya Kwanza government and warned those pulling apart that 'they will be arrested'.
Speaking days ago during the Inaugural Supreme Court Conference, Ruto himself asked the courts to consider the manifestos that led the electorate to choose his administration, before making decisions stopping the implementation of his projects.
Ruto said several court rulings have delayed implementation of some of the projects his government has initiated, and urged the Judiciary to be considerate when making such decisions.
Some of Ruto's projects have been halted by courts after Kenyans and leaders like Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah moved to court to challenge them.
One of the recently halted projects is the KETRACO-Adani deal which Ruto's administration inked to expand electricity supply in the country.
The High Court in Nairobi halted the deal between the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) and Adani Energy Solutions, a subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Adani Group.
The deal, signed on October 11 and valued at Ksh.95.68 billion (USD 736 million), involves the Indian company developing, financing, constructing, and operating critical transmission lines and substations across the country.
The development came just two days after the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) moved to court seeking conservatory orders pending hearing and determination of the case.
In the petition, certified as urgent, LSK described the agreement as "a constitutional sham tainted with secrecy and lacking the principles of integrity."
In his ruling High Court Justice Bahati Mwamuye decreed that LSK's petition had met the legal threshold for the court to grant conservatory orders halting the KETRACO-Adani deal.
Want to send us a story? SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp 0743570000 or Submit on Citizen Digital or email wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a Comment