Supreme Court humour: From ‘Pinky pinky ponky’ to ‘plumber in bathroom’
There was more courtroom humour on Friday morning at the Supreme Court after lawyer Willis Otieno yet again drove home a point with a rib-tickling analogy.
While responding to questions from the judges regarding the possibility of presidential election results being accessed by one Venezuelan national, Mr Otieno, who is representing petitioner David Kariuki Ngari, said that even if the person named Jose Camargo was an IT expert, his name ought not to have appeared in Form 34As.
He compared the Venezuelan to a plumber who, after fixing a broken tap, appears in the bathroom when the owner is taking a shower.
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“Once a plumber has fixed your bathroom, that plumber has no business being in your bathroom when you’re showering. If you find him at that time, tell him, get behind me you satan! A plumber who is in your bathroom when you’re showering after fixing your shower is no longer a plumber, he is a sexual offender and should be reported,” Mr Otieno said.
His sentiments left the courtroom in stitches which compelled Chief Justice Martha Koome to intervene, by asking the lawyer to stick to the issues at hand.
The lawyer also asked the court to reprimand the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Wafula Chebukati for running the agency’s process alone.
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He said protests from four commissioners over the final results that were declared should not be taken lightly, metaphorically comparing the four to an alligator that comes out of the water to report the case of a sick crocodile.
“When an alligator comes out of the water and tells you that the crocodile is sick, do you doubt him?,” he psoed.
On Wednesday, Mr Otieno resorted to singing a popular nursery rhyme “Pinky Pinky Ponky” in Dholuo while demonstrating how Mr Chebukati ran the electoral body.
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The lawyer submitted that Mr Chebukati had turned the commission’s mandate into a child’s play when he opted to sing the nursery rhyme.
“What Chebukati did is what my niece, Mimi, calls ‘Pinky pinky ponky, Paka mielo disko! (the cat is dancing at a disco),” he said.
While the court burst into laughter, Justice Smokin Wanjala asked him to stop, saying that some languages were aliens to the court.
The lawyer is part of legal team representing petitioners who are seeking the court’s order to nullify the declaration of Dr William Ruto as the President-elect in the August 9 General Election.