Judiciary attacks: CJ Koome answers Ruto, dares him to present evidence of corruption

Chief Justice Martha Koome has accused the Executive arm of government of attempting to erode the independence of the Judiciary.

Speaking when she presided over the handover ceremony for outgoing Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Anne Amadi on Friday, CJ Koome challenged the Executive to produce evidence on allegations it raised against unnamed judicial officers over court orders that halted government projects.

The very same auditorium where she and other judges of the Supreme Court unanimously upheld President William Ruto’s victory provided the Chief Justice with a platform to answer the Head of State and Kenya Kwanza leaders disgruntled by court orders that have stopped pet government projects.

In what was a direct response to the President who has sustained an all-out war on the Judiciary since the year begun, CJ Koome called on Ruto and Kenya Kwanza leaders to direct their complaints to the mandated Constitutional body for processing.

“We are ready to process any complaint against any judge or judicial officer who is implicated in corruption or any other act of misconduct. However, such complaint must be lodged and processed in the manner prescribed by the Constitution. Days are gone when officers were hounded out of office through name-calling,” she stated.

A firm Koome, who spoke for the first time since the barrage of attacks was directed the way of the Judiciary, said the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) which she chairs has the capacity to process all complains against judicial officers.

“The JSC, which is the body mandated by the Constitution to deal with matters of complaints, will only act on the basis of evidence and not on blanket statements or allegations that have not been substantiated,” she added.

In a clarion call to all judicial officials, the Chief Justice rallied them to undertake their mandate within the framework of the Constitution.

“I will continue to urge our honourable judges and Judiciary staff to continue discharging their duties in accordance with their oaths of office and in accordance with the law, and you should do this without fear of intimidation and without any favour,” said the CJ.

Koome asked Kenyans to protect “hard won” gains including the independence of the Judiciary and the rule of law.

“These are sacrosanct promises of our Constitution...they are gains for which Kenyans died, lost property and limbs to have...therefore, they must remain our true north always,” the CJ noted.

The wording of her statement was clear and forthright, penned to shield the third arm of government from unqualified political statements, and asserting the Judiciary’s role in Kenya’s constitutional order.

CJ Koome called out the Executive over misrepresentation of the crucial role judicial officers play as impartial arbiters, demanding for an end to populist rhetoric threatening the fundamental aspects of the rule of law.