Maraga condemns abductions, demands accountability

Former Chief Justice David Maraga. [File, Standard] Former Chief Justice David Maraga has condemned the ongoing abductions and called for the immediate release of abductees. In his New Year message sent to newsrooms, Maraga said the 2024 has not been easy for many families due to the killing, maiming and abduction of young Kenyans, which put to serious test of our institutions and which he said "demands a moral response." "If we are truly a people sworn to the sanctity of life and dignity of every citizen, then we must stand bold in the truth of our Constitution. I condemn the killing, torture and the abductions and call for the immediate release of the youth still held unlawfully. Our politics must never again be this heartless and uncaring," he said. The lawyer, jurist and 14th CJ and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya from October 2016 until his retirement in January 2021 said fidelity to the Constitution is fundamental because it keeps us all grounded to our responsibility to build a just society. Maraga emphasized that when Kenyans voted overwhelmingly for a new Constitution in August 2010, they laid down a fundamentally new vision for transforming the country and nation. "This is the vision that was at the heart of the June-July national protests dubbed "Gen Z." It was the desire of Kenyans from all walks of life to take charge of our collective destiny. It was a desire to address the culture of impunity and confront the outright callousness and unresponsive attitudes to genuine issues of public concern," he said. The former CJ said the cries of pain and outrage witnessed this year were sparked by the erosion of basic dignity and economic mismanagement. "We must urgently address the decline in vital sectors such as education and health. We must reset the economy to create decent jobs for our youth and restructure our tax regime in order to guarantee fairness and sustainability of the tax burden. This is possible. The country has done this before and can do it again," he said. He lauded how Kenyans stood up to hold to account public institutions and leading the way in demanding for accountability as enshrined in the Constitution, even as they faced what he called "the brute force of a regime' s push-back." "Let me be clear. The responsibility of ensuring that instruments of power are not abused lies with office bearers," he said. Maraga called upon Kenyans to reflect on the promise that made years ago, where he said they defined a clear path for future, setting down the values of governance, ethics and standards of excellence as our guiding light. "However, these values and principles can only be realised when they become true to you and me; when fairness and humility are first thing we meet at the doors of our offices, when truth and justice are the ink that runs through our pens at work; when human dignity and responsibility as the forces that fuel our work," he said. The former CJ further called upon Kenyans to ensure that in 2025, these values become inseparable part of them. He said 2025 should also be the year of accountability for those who caused so much pain to Kenyans in 2024. "This must be the year that we stand firmly for constitutionalism, the rule of law and justice. Let us always remember our collective destiny and safeguard it," he said.

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Maraga condemns abductions, demands accountability

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