Raila Unveils Shocking ‘Ruto-Koome Deal’ in Bid to Appoint Chebukati as Chief Justice
Raila Odinga, the leader of Azimio, asserts that the true purpose of the January 22 meeting between President William Ruto and Chief Justice Martha Koome was not accurately communicated to the Kenyan public.
Raila Odinga, the leader of the Azimio party, asserts that President William Ruto is aspiring to appoint Wafula Chebukati, the former chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), as the Chief Justice of Kenya.
On Friday, during a media interaction in Nairobi, Raila claimed that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) had reportedly extended invitations to Ruto for positions in the officially announced Court of Appeal openings.
Raila stated that Ruto intends to fill two positions by appointing Chebukati and the former IEBC head, Issack Hassan, as judges in the Court of Appeal.
Later on, Chebukati would rise to Chief Justice before the 2027 General Election.
“We now know what transpired at the State House meeting and it is completely different from what the country was fed after that event,” Raila said.
Raila claimed that the plot to elevate Chebukati was hatched at the meeting between the Judiciary, Parliament and Executive on Monday, January 22 at State House, Nairobi.
“At the meeting, the Chief Justice and Mr Ruto reached an agreement that will allow Mr Ruto to make additional funding to the Judiciary, in return, Justice Koome was to advertise vacancies for five additional judges and 11 Court of Appeal judges.
“This is in addition to the 20 high court judges advertised last year. As a matter of fact, the advertisement of the 11 judges has been gazetted today. In that agreement, the five high court judges and two Court of Appeal judges will be for Mr Ruto to forward to the JSC, and he floated the names, of immediate former IEBC chairpersons Mr Wafula Chebukati and Ahmed Issack Hassan to be appointed Court of Appeal judges with Chebukati later being elevated as the Chief Justice before the 2027 general elections,” Raila claimed.
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He mentioned that as part of the arrangement, the President would submit the names of the Judges to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) for their endorsement.
On Friday, Chief Justice Martha Koome announced that there are 11 open positions for the role of Judge at the Court of Appeal.
She mentioned that the scheduling of appointments will adhere to the provisions outlined in Article 166(1)(b), (2), and (4) of the Constitution, as well as Section 30, Part V, and the First Schedule of the Judicial Service Act, 2011.
On January 22, a communication from State House spokesperson Hussein Mohammed revealed that discussions between Ruto and Koome resulted in an agreement to increase the budgetary allocation for the Judiciary.
Mohamed mentioned that a portion of the funds will be allocated for hiring 36 judges, with 25 intended for the High Court and 11 for the Court of Appeal.
He mentioned that the extra funds would also be allocated to meet the transportation requirements of the Judiciary.
“Resources will also be provided to conclude the vehicle leasing program to facilitate the judiciary’s transport needs,” the statement said.
Mohamed stated that the meeting concluded with an agreement that the Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary, as the three branches of government, will collaboratively combat corruption.
They acknowledged that corruption continues to pose a significant threat to the nation, infiltrating all three branches of the government.
“Each of the three arms of government commits to enhance service delivery, fight corruption, and promote the overall administration of justice to enhance accountability to the people of Kenya,” the statement read.
Raila Unveils Shocking ‘Ruto-Koome Deal’ in Bid to Appoint Chebukati as Chief Justice