Opposition leader Raila Odinga Wednesday blasted Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i for what he said was going against the spirit of his deal with President Uhuru Kenyatta, following the top Jubilee government’s official’s rant about ‘evil’ judicial officers.
In a statement, Mr Odinga said Dr Matiang’i’s rant against the Judiciary was wrong, and he should have instead, appealed decisions he was not happy with.
“As a cabinet secretary of this republic, this outburst by Dr Matiang’i was highly irresponsible and reckless. In our statement to the nation, President Kenyatta and I urged every leader and every Kenyan to embrace the responsibilities they know to be theirs and help the nation reconcile and make progress. Dr Matiang’i failed terribly in this yesterday,” said Mr Odinga.
Dr Matiang’i met the National Assembly committee on security on Tuesday and told them of a clique of judicial officers, whom he said included activist lawyers, members of the civil society, that he argued “want to drag us by the collar through trial by the public court.”
“The CS appeared before Parliament to answer questions pertaining to abuse of rights of citizens and undermining the rule of law. Instead, he came out as the personification of impunity. Parliament should not allow itself to be a platform for State officers to make attacks on other arms of government,” Mr Odinga said in a statement.