President William Ruto has been sued through the Attorney General Office for the remarks he made that have widely been interpreted as threats to tycoons with interest to the sugar industry.
Operation Linda Jamii filed a petition at the Milimani-based High Court on Tuesday. They are seeking orders to have the President withdraw his utterances and formally apologize for the remarks.
The President, Ruto, warned that if the tycoons did not stop frustrating the government’s efforts to reform the sugar industry, they would face three options. They would either flee the country, go to jail, or go to heaven. This statement was made during the President’s official tour in the Western Region.
According to the petition, the statement borders on cold-hearted death threats made by the President who is meant to be a symbol of National Unity.
“The President’s comments if not retracted and an official unconditional apology offered, will create a perception in Kenya that undermines judicial independence and will also see the rule of law disrespected without a recourse,” the group’s statement stated.
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Mambo ni Matatu Warning
The group acknowledged that the sugar industry required immediate intervention from the relevant powers. They, however, did not agree with the direction that the president took. According to them, the stance taken by the President was a dangerous and populist way of addressing the issue.
They further mentioned that the ‘Mambo ni Matatu’ jibe not only undermines the principles of the rule of law but also amounts to death threats. It also undermines the separation of powers and the checks and balances systems enforced by the constitution.
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In addition to that, the lobby group sued the attorney general instead of the president because the Attorney General is the principal legal advisor of the National Government.
“He represents the government in court or in any other legal proceedings to which the National Government is party to,” they stated.
Within the petition, the lobby group questioned whether the withdrawal of billionaire Jaswant Rai was voluntary or triggered by the threats issued.
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