Speaking Tuesday during a forum where he outlined the gains made by his office in the past three years, Muigai stated that the two bodies were working well together, and have never given any contradicting advice/MIKE KARIUKI
NAIROBI, Kenya, March 22 – Attorney General Githu Muigai says there has been no conflict of interest between his office and that of the Constitutional and Legislative Advisor to the President.
Speaking Tuesday during a forum where he outlined the gains made by his office in the past three years, Muigai stated that the two bodies were working well together, and have never given any contradicting advice.
The Attorney General was referring to the occasion where the President backtracked on his decision to suspend Supreme Court Judge Philip Tunoi pending probe on a Sh200 million bribe.
“After doing this job for five years, the one thing that still baffles me is how the media purports to know who advised what, when about what. Every deliberation in Cabinet is secret. Every advisory is secret. How the media is then able to say so and so has advised is the ninth wonder of the world,” he quipped.
The AG blamed the media for making up such claims describing the so called rift as a mere fabrication.
“I want to assure you as a good taxpaying law abiding citizen, the state of your republic is secure. The advice proffered to all organs of government is sifted and it is to the best of our knowledge and ability and you have no reason to worry whatsoever,” he said.
The Executive’s shifting of positions over when President Kenyatta would and should appoint a tribunal to probe Tunoi led a section of MPs questioning the quality of legal advice the Head of State is receiving.
Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi and Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo accused Muigai and President Kenyatta’s advisor Abdikadir Mohamed of misleading President Kenyatta on the tax payers’ dime.
They stated that President Kenyatta’s initial decision to put off the formation of the tribunal past the constitutional 14-day deadline was ill-advised and required the intervention of Parliament.
But following President Kenyatta’s change of mind and ultimate appointment of a tribunal, the Chair of the National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs Committee Samuel Chepkonga and South Mugirango Manson Nyamweya were in favour of letting Muigai and Abdikadir off the hook in the spirit of ‘no harm, no foul.’
Defending Muigai’s track record, they argued that President Kenyatta held the ultimate responsibility for his decisions and not his advisors.
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