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Uhuru mocks Judiciary after Maraga’s rant

By Hilary Kimuyu November 5th, 2019 2 min read

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday appeared to mock the Chief Justice David Maraga, a day after the President of the Supreme Court accused the executive of sabotage.

Speaking on Tuesday during Annual Taxpayers Day at Safari Park, the president indirectly responded to Maraga by urging the cash-strapped Judiciary to expedite cases relating to tax collection in the near future.

TAX DISPUTES

“I call upon Judiciary to determine expeditiously tax disputes without fear or favour… we now have a Tax Appeals Tribunal and I want a report in three months on what has been done to expedite those cases,” the president said amid laughter.

His remarks came just a day after a furious Maraga threatened not to attend some state functions unless the government starts treating him and the Judiciary with respect.

Speaking to journalists at the Supreme Court on Monday, the CJ documented mistreatment and humiliation he and the Judiciary have been subjected to by other arms of the government.

“The CJ is not accorded the respect accorded to his office. Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries are cleared to enter in places before the Chief Justice. Unless I’m treated with the respect I deserve, I will choose state functions to attend,” Maraga said.

MISTREATMENT

He now wants the Judiciary estimates to be taken to parliament then the funds deposited direct in the Judiciary fund account as by the law.

Maraga instructed the Chief Registrar not to take budget estimates to the Treasury from 2020.

Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani had last month issued a directive proposing drastic budgetary cuts on recurring and development budget of up to 50 per cent in the Judiciary.

But the directive was stopped by the High Court after the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) sued the National Treasury and the Attorney General over the budget cuts.

The High Court asked the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to provide a report on how the cost-cutting has affected the dispensation of justice so far.