Home » CJ Martha Koome insists president Uhuru must appoint judges he declined

CJ Martha Koome insists president Uhuru must appoint judges he declined

by Nderi Caren

Chief Justice Martha Koome has called upon President Uhuru Kenyatta to appoint the 6 judges that he left out from the Judicial Service Commission recommended list.

Speaking during the swearing in of the Court of appeal President Justice Daniel Musinga, Martha Koome said President Uhuru should respect the law.

“I am a Judge and I do not want to enter into any controversy but I am duty bound to reiterate this position and call on (president) Uhuru to appoint the remaining 6 judges. Independence of judiciary remains under serious threats from all players some that I will not mention,”  Martha Koome noted.

Koome’s stand comes at a time when many opinion shapers in the political space have described her as a toothless dog in the judiciary. Photo: State House/Twitter.

Four of the judges who were kicked out of the appointments were to attend the swearing in ceremony of Musinga, but were a no show.

The newly appointed CJ also decried a backlog of court cases due to lack of funds and personnel (including judges).

Koome’s stand comes at a time when many opinion shapers in the political space have described her as a toothless dog in the judiciary.

Former Chief Justices David Maraga and Willy Mutunga turned their energy on Uhuru, accusing him of disregarding the constitution.

On his part, Maraga described Uhuru as a difficult president, who has no regard for the constitution, and asked parliament to impeach him.

Willy Mutunga wrote a letter to Uhuru, telling him to appoint the 6 judges for the sake of the constitution. He told the head of state to resign if he can not abide by the oath of office that he took.

The statements by the former Chief Justices overshadowed Martha Koome’s voice since they sounded more bold and fearless.

This sparked a sharp criticism from the Maendeleo ya Wanawake group who termed Maraga and Mutunga as male chauvinists.

“Both Willy Mutunga and David Maraga have opted to totally bypass Martha Koome in their bid to impose their own legal philosophy and interpretation of the constitution on her, in effect of implying that the current Chief Justice is incapable of carrying out her duties to their lofty standards of supposed perfection,” read the statement.

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