Ringera latest

Weeks after his controversial reappointment, pressure continues to mount on Justice Aaron Ringera and his deputy Fatuma Sichale to follow in the footsteps of Smokin Wanjala and resign.

The Law Society of Kenya and civil society groups have stepped up pressure on Ringera to quit and are also opposed to his re-entry to the judiciary.

According to the LSK vice chairman James Mwamu Justice Ringera quit his job at the Judiciary to become the director of the

Kenya anti corruption Commission and therefore his re-admission would be illegal.

There is speculation that Ringera was considering going back to the Judiciary after he held a meeting with Chief Justice Evan Gicheru last week.

Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta has declared that the Ringera standoff could see the economy suffer with the failure to get parliament approval to withdraw the remaining half of its budgetary allocation under the appropriations bill

Elsewhere, the LSK and Civil Societies have hit out at the government, accusing it of what they term as, failure to implement the reform agenda.

The group is basing their accusation on statements by Justice Minister Mutula Kilonzo that the government will not meet Wednesday's deadline by International Criminal Court, ICC, to set up a local tribunal to try suspects of post election violence.

The LSK says it supports the travel ban threats by the US government on 15 government officials, adding that the US should take a further step and freeze their assets.

The deadline that ICC prosecutor Louis Moreno Ocampo had given the government to prove its commitment to the reform agenda expires on Wednesday 30 September 2009. However, justice minister Mutula Kilonzo already admitted that the government will not meet the deadline since parliament is yet to discuss the special tribunal Bill.

The civil society and LSK say this shows the government's lack of dedication in the matter.