By Abiola Olawale
The woes of the Kenyan President, William Ruto have continued to compound as a group of concerned Kenyans has initiated a legal petition against him.
The Kenyans, in the lawsuit, are seeking an order from the Supreme Court granting the assessment of Ruto’s mental fitness.
The citizens, in the lawsuit filed before Chief Justice Martha Koome, are also seeking an order to invoke Article 144 of the Kenyan Constitution, which allows for the removal of a president due to mental or physical incapacity.
The petitioners argue that under Ruto, Kenya has allegedly become a police state, leaving no Member of Parliament courageous enough to initiate this motion in Parliament as required by law.
The petitioners said they are ready to present compelling evidence to bolster their claim of Ruto’s mental incapacity, emphasizing his alleged habitual dishonesty.
According to him, Ruto has reportedly made over 5,000 false statements in two years, significantly surpassing the 1,095 lies expected from an average person.
They contend that Ruto’s alleged misinformation, both domestically and internationally, raises substantial doubts regarding his mental acuity. Among the alleged falsehoods highlighted are conflicting assertions concerning Kenya’s economic recovery, tax reforms, and the contentious sale of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to foreign entities.
They have called on the Chief Justice to take swift action by convening a bench to review their evidence and, if warranted, establish a medical board to assess the president’s mental health. This case, if successful, could mark a turning point in Kenya’s political landscape by challenging the mental fitness of a sitting president. It also raises questions about the role of the judiciary in holding leaders accountable when other avenues, such as Parliament, may be compromised by political realities.
The New Diplomat reports that Ruto has been under heavy scrutiny after anti-government protests erupted in Kenya.
Kenya suffered a deadly crisis after the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition failed to heed calls to reject the controversial 2024 Finance Bill.
Several youths took to the streets to protest a clause inserted in the Finance Bill will seeks to raise revenues through taxes.
But what started as protests against new taxes on bread, cars, diapers, and sanitary towels, among other items, escalated into calls for Ruto to resign, with Kenyans accusing his government of corruption, extra-judicial killings, abductions, and incompetence.
Following the deadly protests, Ruto withdrew the controversial Bill and slashed the 2024/2025 budget by $1.3 billion.
Credit: Agency report
