- Raphael Tuju, who previously served as the secretary general of the Jubilee Party, now criticizes the Judiciary for attempting to silence him in a major property dispute involving billions of shillings.
- The Judiciary charged Tuju with violating the sub judice rule by taking the case to the media for prosecution.
- Nevertheless, Tuju in his strongly worded letter sent also to Chief Justice Martha Koome, stated that the Judiciary's statement was intended to keep the issue hidden from the public.
Former Cabinet Secretary Raphael Tuju has addressed a statement released by the Judiciary and East African Development Bank, following their accusation that he made public comments about issues currently before the courts.
In a brief statement, Tuju redirected the criticism towards the Supreme Court judges, alleging that they established a precedent by addressing issues currently pending in court.
“If I’m being held responsible for breaching the sub judice rule, I’d gladly stand alongside the Supreme Court judges who initially broke this rule. Since lodging the complaint against those SCOK judges with the JSC back in April, I’ve kept quiet. Only when these judges made public comments on the issue did I choose to exercise my right to reply,” he said.
He criticized the judicial system for not tackling the conduct of two Supreme Court justices who allegedly first brought these issues into the spotlight, both during court proceedings and via public talks they conducted in Meru and various other places, events that received extensive coverage from the press.
Tuju similarly placed both the Judiciary and the bank under scrutiny for supposedly attempting to prevent the media from covering the matter.
I doubt you'll manage to silence the press on issues that have already reached the courtroom. Don’t even consider trying to scare me. Since 2019, EADB has received positive coverage from the media. The organization hired an expensive public relations company based in Nairobi to promote their viewpoint consistently, frequently securing prominent placement for these stories.
What has changed? Now they are voicing complaints. As a law-abiding citizen of Kenya, I must adhere to the law," he stated.
Tuju is anticipated to appear at the Milimani Law Courts on Friday morning, March 28, for the hearing of a case related to petitions contesting the dismissal of Supreme Court judges.
Today, the Judiciary, represented by Paul Ndemo, released a statement condemning Tuju for reportedly commenting on the details of a case he is involved in regarding a legal conflict over his property valued at KSh 5 billion in Karen following a failed loan transaction.
"The Judiciary has acknowledged recent media interviews and public comments from Hon. Raphael Tuju concerning the legal proceedings related to Dari Limited. The dispute between Dari Limited and the East African Development Bank (EADB) has been under judicial review across various courts and regions," as stated by the Judiciary.
Earlier, Tuju claimed that high-ranking judicial authorities conspired with an EADB official to falsely implicate him in the case.
He revealed that he had lodged complaints with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) against five Supreme Court judges who had backed Okwara's affidavits, subsequently found to be false. The JSC is scheduled to examine these accusations against the judges.
In July 2020, Tuju spent KSh 50 million to protect his prized Karen property from being sold off at an auction by EADB.
The lender took legal action in a London courtroom and secured rulings to seize the assets after Tuju and his firm, Dari Limited, were deemed to be in default of their loan obligations.
Despite this, the previous CS challenged the decision in a Kenyan courtroom and managed to secure an injunction stopping the lender and designated receivers from seizing the asset.