'I'm a victim of cyberbullying,' CJ Koome cites attempts to remove her from office

Chief Justice Martha Koome has reaffirmed that she won't resign from her position amid a barrage of online attacks from her detractors who claimed that the Judiciary cedes to every command from President William Ruto.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the Annual Human Rights Summit 2024 on Tuesday, CJ Koome admitted to being a victim of cyberbullying orchestrated to kick her out of office.

She, however, emphasised that such intentions would not bear fruit, encouraging her oppressors to try a different approach.

"I always confess that I'm a victim of cyberbullying, or I'll say technologically facilitated gender-based violence. But I know the intentions; it's a business model, I don't know to achieve what, maybe to scare me, to distract me, to defame me and hound me out of office but they can try something else," she said.

While touching on gender-based violence, Koome explained that the Judiciary had established 13 specialised courts to deal with the vice.

"We have dealt with perpetrators of such cruel actions and put behind bars the criminals but while they are serving sentences, they are being trained by the University of London to become lawyers?" She wondered.

"The other day we saw 29 of them qualify as lawyers. What happens to the victims? We ask ourselves!"

She noted that the High Court has played a vital role in upholding accountability, especially during the Gen Z demos where protesters were unlawfully arrested.

"One of the High Court's significant achievements is its defense of the right to peaceful assembly and protest," Koome remarked.

"At a time when courts in other jurisdictions may have turned a blind eye or sanctioned heavy-handed approaches, the High Court of Kenya courageously intervened to chart a delicate balance between law enforcement and the constitutional right to peaceful protests."