Use Majority Status To Keep Gov’t In Check, Raila Tells Azimio MPs

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept, 16 – Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya Alliance leader Raila Odinga has called on legislators in the National Assembly to use their numbers in order to keep the government of the day in check.

Odinga made the remarks after meeting legislators In Athi River, Machakos county.

He also said that it was upon the legislators to ensure that the Judiciary does not fall under state capture.

“We have a responsibility as Azimio to take charge because we are the majority in parliament. We have to make use of our majority status to keep this government in check and if we do that, we will be playing the role the people elected us to do,“ he said.

The Azimio allied legislators will now also be seeking to kick start a process that will see the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) reformed after Odinga expressed his lack of faith in the poll body to conduct free and credible elections.

“We must save the Judiciary which is offering itself to state capture, transform and reform IEBC and make it able to conduct credible elections and to stop the legislature from offering itself to state capture and have it play its oversight role over the government,”

The former premier also took offense at the language used by Chief Justice Martha Koome while rendering her judgment saying that it was unheard of for the CJ to use words such as those she used to describe the case and the country’s best legal minds.

“The words that the Chief Justice used against us have never been used in our courts even in the dark days of single-party rule and state capture of the Judiciary. “CJ Koome described our case, presented by the country’s finest legal minds, as no more than hot air and a wild goose chase. It is my experience that whenever judges resort to insults in litigation it is the result of a disturbed conscience,“ said Raila.

The opposition outfit is now awaiting the full judgment that’ll be issued by the seven judges of the Apex court.