Azimio La Umoja party leader, Raila Odinga, on Thursday, November 10, faulted the Judiciary and the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Noordin Haji for withdrawing graft cases in quick succession.
Raila, through a statement shared with the media on Thursday, November 10, noted that the withdrawals raised questions on the independence of the Judiciary.
The former Prime Minister added that Haji did not issue substantive explanations while withdrawing the cases, decisions which seemingly pointed towards an inclination to lawlessness in the country.
“The Westlands incident (where a Ksh80 million house was demolished), taken together with recent developments in which the DPP has moved fast to drop cases against government officials and the willingness of the Judiciary to dance to the tunes of the Executive, point to the fact that as a country, we are flirting with lawlessness,” Raila lamented.
The statement came hours after the Anti-Corruption court allowed the DPP to withdraw a Ksh7.4 billion graft case against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
In addition, Raila condemned the forceful eviction of the Asian family from their Ksh80 million property in Westlands, Nairobi.
Niraj Shah was evicted from his premises by an auctioneer on November 4.
However, it emerged that the orders used by the auctioneer were obtained through fraudulent means.
Raila, the African Union High Representative for Infrastructure, urged the relevant authorities to uphold the rule of law to avoid and refrain from orchestrating illegal orders regardless of the status of the perpetrators.
The ODM leader underscored the need to create a conducive environment for foreigners, arguing that acts of persecution were a step backwards in Kenya’s civilization.
“While public outcry seems to have forced the government to take up the matter of the so-called auctioneers in the Westlands saga, there is a need for actions that will affirm that political patronage shall not be a substitute for the rule of law in Kenya,” Raila argued.
“In the meantime, the country deserves a firm commitment by the government that the era in which people with political patronage terrorized innocent Kenyans and foreigners in our midst is gone and shall never return.”
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE
