We don't want State jobs, Azimio tells William Ruto

"We have a lot of work to do as we have demonstrated, of keeping the Government in check."

The leaders were responding to comments attributed to the President on Friday when he addressed the Kenya Kwanza Parliamentary Group meeting in Naivasha. During the meeting Ruto ruled out any possibility of appointing members of the Opposition to State jobs arguing that his mission is to run an administration accountable to the people.

"Azimio members should play their oversight role. We want an Opposition that will hold us accountable. We have nothing to hide," he said.

In their statement, which also included the unveiling of its top leadership in the two Houses, the Azimio leaders addressed Ruto's recent edicts since he was sworn into office and the relationship among the three arms of government which they noted must be nurtured for Kenya to have truly independent institutions. On his first day in office, President Ruto appointed six judges spurned by his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta and proposed an extra Sh3 billion to the Judiciary to boost its financial autonomy.

Kalonzo dismissed the allocation saying it not only amounted to interfering with the work of Parliament in appropriation of funds to public institutions, but the new regime was using it "buy friendship".

"The financial and operational autonomy of the Judiciary will not be guaranteed through tokenism," Kalonzo argued, adding that such can only be guaranteed through separation of powers among the three arms of government.

They pointed out that while funds are necessary in effective administration of justice, it is not the business of the President to allocate money acting in isolation to appropriate funds to public institutions.

"Ruto should tame his appetite for throwing money at institutions to buy friendship. Keep off Judiciary and let Parliament do its work," the statement read.

The leaders also waded into the infighting within the poll agency where it revealed that the new government has already developed a scheme in which it seeks to sack the four dissenting commissioners and deputy CEO Ruth Kulundu on the pretext that they tried to interfere with declaration of Ruto as Kenya's fifth President.

The four, vice Chairperson Juliana Cherera, Francis Wanderi, Justus Nyang'aya and Irene Masit have been under a vicious attack by Ruto's allies for having disowned the presidential results announced by their chairperson Wafula Chebukati, citing lack of transparency in the verification process.

Garissa Township MP Aden Duale has called for sacking of the four commissioners.