We'll not tolerate tyranny of judiciary, Ruto says after petition details

DP William Ruto has asked Supreme Court judges why they invalidated Uhuru Kenyatta's elections victory hours after they gave details of their determinations.

The President vied on August 8 for another five year term and NASA principal Raila Odinga was his primary competitor.

IEBC said Uhuru won with more than 1.4 million votes but Raila rejected the result and petitioned it at the Supreme Court.

Chief Justice David Maraga later made the historic announcement and ordered a repeat election which is expected to take place on October 17.

Maraga, DCJ Philomena Mwilu, Isaac Lenaola and Smokin Wanjala favoured the nullification while Njoki Ndung'u and Jackton Ojwang' disagreed.

"Why did you overturn President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election?" Ruto asked on Thursday.

He told North Eastern leaders at State House, Nairobi, that "the tyranny of the judiciary will not be tolerated in Kenya".

"Yaliyosemwa jana ni mambo ya ajabu. Majaji walipindua kura ya rais bila evidence. Kama numbers hazina shida, huu uchaguzi ulipinduliwa kwa sababu gani (What was said yesterday was surprising. Judges overturned the vote without evidence. If there was no problem with the numbers, why did they nullify the victory)?

"If there was a technical issue...why was election overturned? Why was the will of the people overturned? Why are we carrying out another election running in billions yet the other one was valid?"

But Mwilu said the electoral agency's system was infiltrated and data contaminated. She further noted the election is a process, not an event, whose conclusion cannot be without a showcase of the steps.

More on this: IEBC gave poor reasons for tech failure, forms 34A misuse - Mwilu

Also read: IEBC's system was infiltrated, restricted access suspicious - Mwilu

Ruto, like Uhuru, noted only Kenyans can determine their leaders, not a few individuals seated at the courts.

"The tyranny of the judiciary is not acceptable...inasemakana ukiwa kiongozi lazima ujue mtu fulani mwenye anajua judge fulani...ala (it seems when you are a leader you need to know someone who knows a judge)."

Ruto earlier termed the Supreme Court ruling a coup on Kenyans' will.

"Evidently a supreme coup on sovereign Will of the people was executed on basis of technicalities against their verdict captured in ballots," he said via Twitter.

Read: Court ruling is 'supreme coup' on will of Kenyans - Ruto

Also read: 'Maajabu haya': Supreme Court will not silence Kenyans - Uhuru

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