Chief Justice Willy Mutunga Says He Got Death Threats over Uhuru, Ruto Case

Kenya's Chief Justice Willy Mutunga

Chief Justice Willy Mutunga has said he received death threats two days before a ruling on petitions seeking to block Jubilee presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta and his running mate William Ruto from the March 4 election.

Dr Mutunga said he received a poison-pen letter from a group claiming to be the outlawed Mungiki sect. It warned against a ruling locking the two leaders from the presidential race over the charges they face at the International Criminal Court. The CJ said the letter, dated February 13, was signed from the ‘Mungiki Veteran Group/ Kenya Sovereignty Defence Squad'.

A High Court ruling, delivered on February 15, threw out four petitions challenging the suitability of Uhuru and Ruto for public office. One other petition is before the Supreme Court, challenging the nominations of Uhuru, Ruto, Raila Odinga, Musalia Mudavadi and Kalonzo Musyoka who were still State officers when electoral officials accepted their papers.

It has not been established whether the letter came from Mungiki, supporters of the two Jubilee leaders or political rivals using it as a black propaganda attack. Black propaganda is false information that purports to be from a source on one side of a conflict, but is actually from the opposing side. It is typically used to vilify, embarrass or misrepresent a rival.

The letter, Mutunga said, extols the violent exploits of the Mungiki movement and threaten him with dire consequences should he deliver a ruling detrimental to Uhuru and Ruto. The CJ said the Judiciary will not flinch in interpreting the Constitution as required. He added he has invested too heavily in creating a new Judiciary over the last year and a half to be cowed by threats.

“Let no individual, group, candidate or supporter imagine that cowardly and dark acts such as this will cow us,” he said.

He said he has sent the letter to Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo, CID Director Ndegwa Muhoro and the Director of Public Prosecution Keriako Tobiko for investigations. He asked for increased security for himself and other judges.

While the Mungiki movement has it roots in Uhuru's ethnic community, he has repeatedly sought to distance himself from them. In recent months, some Mungiki leaders such as Maina Njenga have pledged support for Uhuru's rivals in the CORD alliance. - The Standard