Ruto said that officers in the two arms of the government should instead focus on nation building/FILE
Speaking when he attended a church service at the PCEA Church in Nkoroi on Sunday, Ruto said that the two arms of government must learn to work together harmoniously because the conflict between them is not necessary.
He urged them to respect each other saying they should focus on nation building and service to Kenyans.
The National Assembly and the Judiciary have in the past week been engaged in a silent war after Speaker Justin Muturi disregarded a gag order by the High Court and instead allowed MPs to debate a proposal for setting up a tribunal to probe six Judicial Service Commissioners.
The six Commissioners also snubbed a summons by the parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee which was looking at the wrangles in the JSC, instead sending their lawyer Paul Muite to represent them.
“We respect the independence of the Judiciary; we respect the independence of the Legislature and we want harmony and synchrony so that we can move the country forward. I think all these turf wars are completely unnecessary,” argued Ruto.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has also been dragged into the conflict, with the National Assembly expecting him to name a tribunal that will remove the six commissioners from office.
In addition, the Judiciary will be seeking MPs’ help in approving additional spending after a Sh1.6billion funding deficit and there are doubts the lawmakers will look at the request favourably.
But Ruto added that the Executive would soon sit down with officials in the two institutions to resolve the impasse.
“We do not want the conflict to get out of hand in a way that the ability of either Parliament or the Judiciary to conduct their business becomes impaired. We must work together without falling out. That is what we want as a country,” he said.
He at the same time reminded the congregation of the need to know each others’ neighbours as a way of boosting security.
Ruto urged Kenyans to embrace the ‘Nyumba Kumi’ initiative saying it would help the government combat crime.
“We want Kenyans to play their role because it is your role to know who your neighbour is and it is our collective responsibility to work together and enhance security,” he explained.
He further urged the Kajiado County government to play its role in ensuring that roads in the area are tarmacked and a proper sewer system installed.
Ruto said that the County |Government had received a monetary allocation from the national government to construct roads adding that the national government would only come in to assist.
This was after the area Governor David ole Nkedianye expressed concern over the traffic jams and poor road conditions in Ongata Rongai, parts of Ngong, Kiserian and Isinya.
“We can join hands with the County Government to construct the road from Kiserian to Isinya but we already allocated some money for county development,” said Ruto.
“So Mr Governor if you can set aside a little of that money then the National government can come in to assist to build that road.”
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