HON. RUTO: REFUSAL TO RESIGN IS TANTAMOUNT TO FLAUNTING YOUR COLLOSAL MORAL DEFICIT.

It is a sad day for the people of Kenya. Public trust has gone to the dogs. Senior public officers indicted of criminal offenses can simply quote imaginary enemies as a reason for not resigning from public office. This is an egregious violation of the new constitution. Take the example of honorable William Ruto. He has flatly refused to heed the public`s call to resign ostensibly because he sees invisible hands behind the court ruling. The minister has even gone ahead to call a press conference to castigate the judiciary for being part and parcel of a protracted political campaign against him. Ruto and his political allies are wondering why this case has picked up steam at the time when his political strength is steadily rising.

It is not lost to the public that it is Ruto himself who referred the matter to the constitutional court. It is also not lost to the public that previously influential persons indicted for criminal offenses referred cases to the constitutional court so that the court would deep freeze justice or terminate the proceedings altogether. The delay in the ruling aside, Ruto should know better than making matters that are now before a court of law the subject of a press conference. Evidence against his culpability ought to be presented in the court of law and not in the court of public opinion.

Secondly, Ruto must know that the public`s call for his resignation is not a confirmation of his guilt. Far from it, his resignation should only be seen in light of the provisions of the new constitution that demand that a public officer who is a subject of a court case must resign from public office pending the determination of the case. It is also naïve for him to argue that his appointment to public office was done at a time when the same case was pending in court. He was appointed simply because no one knew whether the constitutional court would rule for or against the continuation of the case against him. It is now clear that he has a case to answer and as a public officer, he must act in accordance with the provisions of the new constitution-resign from public office.

Thirdly, by dismissing the public`s demands, honorable Ruto is only succeeding in justifying his colossal moral deficit. Instead of calling press conferences to throw his tantrums and to flaunt his endless fruitless political posturing, Ruto must know that his continued stay in the public office is a violation of the public trust. It is a testament of his final act of defiance against the public.

I think that Ruto will cause a tremendous amount of relief to the president, the PM, the cabinet and the country at large if he voluntarily stepped down. If the doesn’t resign the President and the PM must act in accordance with the provisions of the new constitution and relieve him of his duties.

TOME FRANCIS,
BUMULA.
http://twitter.com/tomefrancis