Raila claims Ruto plotting to install ex-IEBC boss Wafula Chebukati as Chief Justice

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya party leader Raila Odinga has accused President William Ruto of plotting to impose former Indepndent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Wafula Chebukati as Chief Justice before the 2027 polls.

Addressing the press on Friday, the Azimio chief claimed he learnt of this intention after the recent State House meeting between Executive led by President William Ruto and the Judiciary led by Chief Justice Martha Koome.

According to the opposition chief, the meeting was only one piece in President Ruto's grand plan to have a friendly Judiciary.

In the alleged plot, Mr. Odinga said Chebukati and his predecessor Ahmed Issack Hassan will first be enlisted as Court of Appeal Judges before Chebukati is later promoted to the CJ position.

“In that (State House meeting) agreement, the five High Court Judges and two Court of Appeal Judges will be for Ruto to forward to the JSC,” Odinga stated

“He floated the names. Immediate former IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati and former IEBC Chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan are to be appointed as Court of Appeal judges, with Chebukati being later elevated as the Chief Justice before the 2027 General Elections.”

According to Mr. Odinga, the Kenya Kwanza government has already captured the CJ Koome-led Supreme Court, and is now focusing on what he called the “problematic lower courts” by staffing them with his loyalists.

He claimed that the State House meeting was part of President Ruto’s intentions to influence the hiring of judges at the High Court and the Court of Appeal.

“At the meeting, the Chief Justice and Mr Ruto reached an agreement that will supposedly allow Mr Ruto to provide additional funding to the Judiciary,” said Mr. Odinga.

“In return for this additional funding, Justice Koome is to advertise vacancies for five additional High Court Judges and 11 Court of Appeal judges. This is in addition to the 20 High Court Judges advertised and the advertisement of the 11 judges has just been done in today’s gazette.”

The Azimio boss also accused CJ Koome of endorsing an illegality by accepting the additional allocation of funds to the Judiciary from the presidency.

“The presidency cannot allocate any money to the Judiciary, Madam Koome knows this, and yet has willingly proceeded to associate herself with and endorse an illegality. Why Koome sought money from State House and not from Parliament, only she can explain, but it spells doom,” he said.

"To the best of our knowledge, the Judiciary has never said that it submitted budget estimates to Parliament and it was rejected. We have not seen any petition by the Judiciary to Parliament over the rejection of submitted budget estimates if any. We challenge Ms. Koome to prove otherwise."