”We urge His Excellency, the President, to retrace his steps and reverse the growing culture of impunity and misuse of state raw power. We remind the president that he indeed, he was the subject of such schemes and hence the need to return to the path of the Rule of Law and upholding the constitution,” said the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) president Eric Theuri during a press briefing on Thursday, 29 August, 2023, at Law Society of Kenya Grounds, Nairobi.
This statement came after President Ruto issued threats while blaming the sugar cartels for the collapse of the nation’s sugar industry, including the state-run Mumias Sugar Company, over the weekend.
Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Haki Africa and Amnesty International have asked the President William Ruto to withdraw his threatening statements against those he referred to as “sugar cartels” and issue an apology.
The words which have caused a mayhem raising questions on what they could mean. The President while addressing a roadside meeting in Western Kenya spoke tough on sugar cartels.
“Hawa wakora wote watoke. Hio kampuni ni ya wananchi na tutaipangia upya. Hakuna kesi tutaentertain hapo. Kesi watoe na wao wenyewe watoke,” said His Execellency the President William Ruto.
“Wakitaka kuniletea kisirani either wahame Kenya ama nitawaweka jela ama wasafiri waende mbinguni,” he added.
Read Also : LSK Challenges Constitutionality of Finance Act 2023 in Court
These words caused a concern among the human rights group and civil societies, as they do not only want the president to withdraw his words and apologize, but also to allow the process of law to take its cause to its logical conclusion.
“In a court of law, we have laws that ensure equality of parties that appear before it and each party has an opportunity to present the case they have before an impartial arbiter who is the court, to interfere in those processes before the court has made its determination is to undermine the rule of law and authority goes against the constitution.”
In addition, human rights group and civil societies also urged the government to hold accountable police officers, over the extra judicial killings and enforced disappearances of Indian nationals Zulfiqar Khan, Zaid Kidwai and Kenyan driver Nicodemus Mwania, as well as 39-year -old Ethiopian businessman and Kenya resident, Samson Tecklemichael, abducted in broad daylight on 19 November, 2021.
Subscribe to Switch TV
