Judiciary is main obstacle to justice for poor people, Raila claims

Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga yesterday accused judges of dictatorship and making rulings in favour of the rich at the expense of the poor.

Raila said should he be elected president in August 2022, he will initiate tangible reforms in the Executive, Parliament and Judiciary and weed out corruption.

The ODM chief said that although Kenyans have fought and won the battle against imperial presidency and dictatorship, the Judiciary remains the greatest enemy of the poor, adding that for the country to prosper, the institution must be reformed.

He told members of the Maa community on a vernacilar FM stations during a breakfast show that the Judiciary has turned out to be dictatorial and denies the poor justice.

 “We fought the dictatorship of the national government and won. But currently, the Judiciary has become the greatest dictator.

Cases of land filed at the Judiciary takes years to be heard, and when the verdict is read, it is always favouring the wealthy and leaving the holloi polloi of this country crying for justice,” said Raila.

The former Premier said under his administration, the three arms of government will focus on service delivery.

The ODM leader also fired at his political nemesis Deputy President William Ruto, saying he should take responsibility for failures of the Jubilee administration.

He said the DP sits in the Cabinet that plans the agenda of the government then turns around to criticise the same government. Land issues “Cabinet runs the government.

I do not sit in the Cabinet to approve the government development agenda but Ruto sits,” he said. At the same time, Raila promised to deal with land issues that affect the Maasai community.

He said he understands land problems the community faces and that he is ready to effectively tackle them. He further said he will ensure lands that were unlawfully taken away from the community will be brought back to them.

“The issue of land within the Maa community did not start recently; it began long ago during the colonial regime. I will ensure that those lands that were unlawfully taken, are given back to the community,” said Raila.

On the historical injustices meted on the community, Raila said his administration will look for ways to rectify the problems