After being on the warpath against the judiciary over the past few days, President William Ruto has extended an olive branch to the arm of government that is led by Chief Justice Martha Koome, asking it to support his development agenda.
The Head of State, who had earlier vowed to discredit court rulings by "corrupt" judges, said it was time for the country's top leadership to join hands to address the challenges of joblessness, lack of affordable healthcare and food insecurity that are affecting the country.
"Let us not have unnecessary competition between the executive and the judiciary that wastes time in building our country. We all have a mission to work together to expand opportunities for millions of Kenyans because our mission is to transform this country," Dr Ruto said yesterday during a function at African Inland Church Sugutek in Soy Sub-county, Uasin Gishu County.
He also hit out at those he claimed were sabotaging his plans for the country, including the affordable housing and health insurance programmes. The country's leadership, Dr Ruto said, should “work together for the benefit of many Kenyans and transform the nation”.
"It must concern all of us that we still have Kenyans who sleep angry because we do not have enough food. We must address food insecurity and ensure that all Kenyans have access to health care without selling their property,” said the Head of State.
"If you are working in the judiciary, the executive or the legislature to sabotage programmes that are helping millions of unemployed youth get jobs and access affordable health care for Kenyans, that is a big mistake. I will remain steadfast in ensuring that these programmes continue because I will stand up for the many Kenyans who need these opportunities and who can't fight in court because they don't have the money to hire lawyers," said President Ruto.
In neighbouring Nandi County, his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, lashed out at "corrupt judges"while accusing them of colluding to frustrate the implementation of the Kenya Kwanza administration programmes.
He said judges and magistrates must be held accountable for their decisions, noting that some of the rulings were detrimental to the government's development agenda.
"The judges must not live in utopia and must seek public opinion before making some of the decisions. Somebody must supervise them and hold them accountable for their judgments," Mr Gachagua said during a function in Tinderet.
The DP said some of the programmes that formed the cornerstone of the Kenya Kwanza manifesto such as housing and health risk stalling due to unfair judgments and injunctions issued by the courts.
"The courts have a responsibility to be fair to the government and the majority of Kenyans," said Mr Gachagua.
Dr Ruto also hit out at opposition leaders for politicising the high cost of living, noting that his government is keen on increasing food production and reducing food imports that gobble up Sh500 billion annually.
He stressed that the high cost of food imports has weighed down the country's economy, weakening the Kenyan shilling against the dollar.
"You don't know the danger [of costly food imports]; we need to have a deliberate plan to grow enough food. This can only be achieved if we support our farmers by giving them credit," said the Head of State.
He revealed that the government had released Sh2 billion more to the Agricultural Finance Corporation to loan out to farmers to enable them increase food production.
He disclosed that the country needs Sh100 billion to build dams to harvest water for irrigation, domestic use and livestock and a joint project with the World Bank to address food insecurity was in the pipeline.
"The greatest danger we face as a country is that we cannot feed ourselves. Because 85 percent of Kenya is not arable, it is imperative that we harvest water. We are negotiating with the World Bank to ensure that the country is food secure," he said.
This week, President Ruto is expected to launch the construction of 10,000 affordable housing units in Uasin Gishu County, including Pioneer in Kesses and Kimumu in Moiben sub-counties as well as a multi-storeyed ultra-modern market in Eldoret town to accommodate over 3,000 traders.
Yesterday, the Head of State was accompanied by First Lady Rachel Ruto, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii and his Elgeyo Marakwet counterpart Wisely Rotich.
Also present were Senator Jackson Mandago (Uasin Gishu), MPs Julius Rutto (Kesses), Janet Sitenei (Turbo), Phyllis Bartoo (Moiben), Samuel Chepkonga (Anabkoi), David Kiplagat (Soy), and Joseph Wanaina (nominated). Others were National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei and County Assembly Speaker Philip Muigei.
The leaders used the event to castigate the judiciary for delaying the implementation of key government programmes, citing affordable housing and the Universal Health Coverage initiative.
Mr Rotich appealed to the government to authorise soldiers to use to use deadly force against bandits following fresh attacks in Kerio Valley that claimed four lives last Friday.
