President Ruto now turns guns on Judiciary, says corrupt judges 'must leave'

President William Ruto has shifted his anti-corruption campaign towards the Judiciary, firing a warning shot at some judicial officers who he says are part of a wider corruption enterprise.

The President accused some judges, whom he did not name, of turning the courts into a safe haven for the corrupt.

“There are judicial officers who are part of the system of corruption that is why only specific judges handle corruption cases,” he said.

According to the Head of State, judges at the anti-corruption court have become the weakest link in the war on graft.

He accuses them of colluding with individuals who engage in economic crimes instead of fast-tracking their cases. 

President Ruto said the unnamed judges issue suspects with stay orders and prolong their hearings.

“You find a judge giving funny stay orders to a corruption case...someone who has stolen public money,” the President noted.

He said his administration will crush the corruption enterprise that also has in its racket individuals from the private sector, government parastatals and county governments.

“This is a whole enterprise...it is a whole system and we have said it has individuals from across the sectors...your time is up... pia nyinyi mtahama,” he stated.

Several high-profile corruption cases have been withdrawn in the last year with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) presenting before court that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute the suspects.