The Attorney general Githu Muigai has clapped back at lawyers who termed his advise on treason as being misguided.
He said that the said lawyers were misguiding the public, especially the young generation while claiming to have vast experience in the legal profession.
The attack seems to have been aimed at senator James Orengo and Miguna Miguna both lawyers of repute who he categorically described as ‘have beens'(meaning someone who used to be great but not anymore)
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He said that the so called ‘lawyer politicians, and ‘so called public intellectuals’ are to blame for the deteriorating public debates. He was speaking at the launch of the government initiative towards legal Aid ceremony at the Intercontinental Hotel.
He seemed to be referring to senator James Orengo when he asked how he could comfortably sit in the senate yet claim that there was no law to protect the overthrowing of the constitution. He said that treason law cannot be termed as colonial law as it served the purpose of ensuring public order. He insinuated that the senator belonged in another forum and not senate.
“Some senator says there is nothing like treason law, that it is colonial law. This is a man sitting in the Senate? The essence of the law of treason is to protect constitutional order, a lawyer who says they’ve practiced for forty years and there’s no law to protect the Constitution from illegitimate overthrow belongs in another forum.”
He discredited those who said that he was overstepping his mandate saying that he was the government adviser on legal issues including criminal justice.
“One fellow said the Attorney General should never comment on criminal law as the role of criminal justice is the Director of Public Prosecutions. This is ignorance on stilts. The AG is chief legal adviser of the government, and defender of rule of law; all law, including criminal justice,” the attorney general said.
His reactions came weeks after he had said that Raila Odinga would be charged with treason if he pursued plans to swear himself as president which had been planned on December 12.
Various leaders from NASA argued that the AG was overstepping his mandate as matters that dealt with criminal justice could only be addressed by the Director of Public prosecution
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