Kenyan President William Ruto has met Chief Justice Martha Koome at State House in the capital Nairobi after a recent spat over the courts' rulings on government's policies.
In early January, Ruto accused the judiciary of sabotaging the government's development agenda by issuing injunctions that stall the rollout of key projects.
At the heart of the spat were two main issues – a 1.5% monthly tax on formally employed workers' salaries, and a 2.75% monthly deduction on employees' salaries for the universal health coverage programme.
Ruto said some "rogue" people had colluded with "corrupt" judges to block the rollout of the initiatives.
'Commit to working together '
The judiciary faulted the president over his remarks, asking him to use the constitutional channels to voice his grievances about judges.
Ruto heads the executive arm of government, while Koome heads the judiciary.
Following the recent row, Ruto convened a meeting with the leaders of the arms of government, including Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetangula, on Monday. Wetangula heads Kenya's legislature.
"The executive, the legislature and the judiciary commit to working together to enhance service delivery, tackle corruption and promote the administration of justice. We cannot afford to let narrow, selfish interests to derail the much-needed transformation of our country," Ruto said on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday.
'Better accountability'
On her part, Koome said: "We will ensure that we continue to collaboratively address the fight against corruption, better accountability and efficient delivery of service for the good of the Kenyan people."
Kenya's State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said in a statement on Monday that each of the arms of government will "individually develop policies, guidelines, regulations and legislative proposals to achieve the objectives of fighting corruption, improving service delivery and enhancing institutional accountability."
Each of the arms of government will, thereafter, submit their respective reports to the National Council of the Administration of Justice within 30 days from January 22, 2024.
The council will then "provide a roadmap for the immediate, medium-term and long-term measures to be undertaken," Mohamed said.
Recruitment of 36 new judges
Following the Monday meeting, Ruto said he will "support the judiciary's request for additional budgetary support."
Thirty-six judges, including 25 destined for the High Court, will be recruited in efforts to fight corruption, Mohamed said.
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