“It Was Unconstitutional” LSK President Reveals Why She Turned Down Ruto’s Appointment

Faith Odhiambo, President of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), has explained why she rejected President William Ruto’s appointment to an independent task team to examine Kenya’s debt.

During an interview with Ramogi TV on Saturday, December 21, the lawyer stated that the appointment violated the law because there was no constitutional provision for such a task group.

According to her, the debt auditing task force would replicate the job of existing government bodies, resulting in wasted public expenditures.

She further indicated that the appointment could have resulted in legal implications, as some Kenyans would have gone to court to fight it.

“We were going to enter into a job that we could not handle because even in the letter that we wrote to the president, we explained that such a task force would prompt opposition from Kenyans,” she stated.

“I do not want to be in a task force where I will be doing someone else’s work at the same time there is nothing meaningful that we would have done,” Odhiambo added.

Following the anti-finance bill demonstrations, President Ruto formed a Presidential Taskforce on Forensic Audit of Public Debt.

A gazette notification dated July 5 empowered the task group to investigate Kenya’s debt management methods and ensure transparency and accountability in public finances.

Odhiambo was one of eight people designated by the Head of State to examine the country’s debt and propose methods for managing it.Nancy Onyango, who was appointed chairman of the task group, will lead the team, with Luis Franceschi serving as her deputy.

However, a day later, Odhiambo declined the appointment on the grounds that it was unconstitutional and so illegitimate.

“Taking cognisance of the provisions of Article 229 of the constitution and the interpretation of the said provisions by the court, it is our considered view that the establishment of the task force is unconstitutional,” she noted.