Wambugu petition to oust Maraga not ours, Jubilee leaders insist

National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale and his Senate counterpart Kipchumba Murkomen have today sought to clarify that the petition filed to oust Chief Justice David Maraga did not emanate from Jubilee Party leadership or from the Parliamentary Group meeting at State House.

Speaking in a media briefing at Parliament Buildings, Duale said that the Nyeri Town MP Ngujiri Wambugu did not consult Jubilee party officials before filing the petition at the Judicial Service Commission.

While insisting that “It is not a Jubilee affair”, Duale said that the party is in talks with Wambugu to persuade him to drop his petition that seeks the removal of Chief Justice from office weeks after nullifying President Uhuru Kenyatta’ election over electoral illegalities.

“We shall continue to engage Wambugu to urge him to drop it but if he feels otherwise, then its upon him. He has a constitutional right just like any other Kenyan to petition,” said Duale.

On his part, Murkomen however observed that the petition raises very weighty issues on the conduct of the Supreme Court further criticizing the court for delaying delivery of it’s full judgment on the nullification of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s win.

“We are waiting for Tuesday. We want to see how the judges will outline reasoning of their verdict. If there will be any indictment on any IEBC Secretariat officials that NASA has been agitating for, we will clearly say the judges are filling the gaps to suit their judgment,” said Murkomen.

The Jubilee leaders have now urged their fellow Jubilee legislators to focus on next month’s repeat Presidential election instead of focussing on sideshows.

“We have talked to Wambugu and he says he is passionate about the petition. But we have and more urgent issues to deal than the petition,” said the Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Murkomen.

“We are telling our Jubilee colleagues to stop the sideshows and focus on the Presidential election that is 31 days away,” said Duale.

In his petition, Ngunjiri Wambugu,wants the JSC to launch process to sack CJ David Maraga for allegedly ‘orchestrating regime change’ plot over the nullification of President Kenyatta’s win.

The MP sensationally claims that CJ Maraga stopped Justice Mohamed Ibrahim from taking part in the NASA petition. Justice Ibrahim was taken ill during the NASA petition hearing and did not render a judgment on the case.

In his petition, Ngunjiri claims Maraga allowed civil activists opposed to the Jubilee government to fund the Judiciary through The International Development Law Organization (IDLO).

Ngunjiri claims renowned legal scholar, Prof Makau Mutua, who is a vocal critic of President Kenyatta is an IDLO board member, an organization whose intent he claims is to subvert judicial independence.