JOHANNESBURG, South Africa _ After Kenya's Supreme Court invalidated last month's election because of mass irregularities, President Uhuru Kenyatta was angry and pained. It was as if a thief had stolen his cow and he couldn't get it back, Kenyatta said last week.
He has declared that Kenya has "a problem" with the Supreme Court, calling the judges crooks who stole the election from him and threatening to "fix" the judiciary if he wins the redo election on Oct. 17. His lawyer has called the decision to overturn the election "a judicial coup d'etat."
Chief Justice David Maraga warned Tuesday that despite the increasingly aggressive threats against judges, Kenyan police had ignored requests to boost judges' security.
The initial result gave Kenyatta, leader of the Jubilee governing alliance, a 1.4 million victory margin over Raila Odinga, a member of the NASA opposition alliance. But the court overturned the election because of irregularities and ordered a new vote next month.
It was a watershed moment for judicial independence on a continent where courts more often serve presidents like loyal retainers.
