'I will lead the talks,' President Ruto welcomes call for dialogue with Judiciary

Speaking during the commissioning of the Tinderet Integrated Technical and Trainers College in Nandi County on Tuesday, President Ruto expressed his readiness to spearhead the conversation, adding that the talks should involve all three arms of government.

"I want to tell the Chief Justice that I am ready for a meeting with the Judiciary, Executive, and Legislature. Our Leadership. The leadership of the Executive, led by me, the leadership of the Judiciary led by the Chief Justice and the leadership of the Legislature led by our Speakers," said Ruto.

He reiterated his previous sentiments that there were individuals keen on sabotaging the government agenda for their own personal interests through bribery of Judicial officers.

“Therefore I welcome the conversation between the Executive and I am going to lead from the front in that conversation so that we can deal with the monster that is destroying our country, and so that we can deal with those who benefit from the status quo...the vested interest who have taken our health hostage, who don’t want us to change the system to make it transparent."

"They want to hold the system hostage by bribing the judicial officers, hiring expensive lawyers and sabotaging our universal health coverage program. We are going to have that conversation,” said President Ruto.

In a press briefing on Monday, Chief Justice Martha Koome said the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) had reached out to President Ruto for a meeting to discuss any issues they have with the judicial arm. 

"He might have received information because we have various machinery and agencies for collecting information and we would like to engage him so that he can give us that information. We will be looking out for that dialogue, we have written and I believe that the President is going to give us an appointment," said Koome in response to questions from the media.

JSC, in a statement read by the Chief Justice, warned that the country is on a dangerous slide towards chaos and anarchy in the wake of what it termed a regrettable assault on the judiciary by the Executive and legislative arms of government. 

The JSC noted that the threats by the Executive and the Legislature to defy orders of the courts of law were pushing the country to the precipice of a constitutional crisis that could lead to untold civil strife.