The killing of Magistrate Monica Kivuti as she performed her constitutional duties was a dark moment for Kenya. Kivuti was shot by as senior police officer who was supposed to be protecting life and property.

The killing has not only shaken members of the Judiciary but also right-thinking Kenyans. The tragic event underlines the exposure of public servants tasked with making sensitive decisions to advance constitutionalism, the rule of law and the public interest. 

The sickening audacity with which the judicial officer was killed borders on barbarism. The killing was a grave attempt at silencing the Judiciary and the bulwarks of our Constitution. It was an expression of disdain of the supreme law and a gross denigration of the document.

As Kivuti’s grieving colleagues pointed out yesterday, she was seated in her seat of justice hosted in a makeshift dilapidated tent that those responsible for giving her a decent, safe and deserving altar of justice had provided her.

It is worrisome and frightening that this was not the first time an attempt has been made on the life of a judicial officer. The association of judges pointed out yesterday that attacks against judicial officers have happened in the past.

Earlier this year, at the Mombasa Law Courts, an accused person snatched a gun from a police officer and tried to shoot a magistrate. The magistrate was saved when the firearm jammed.

At the Nakuru Law Courts, a magistrate was severely stabbed with a screwdriver by a litigant who had received an unfavourable judgment. In Garissa, a court user attacked a judge, with the missile aimed at the judge missing narrowly. 

The targeted individuals were executing their constitutional mandate of deciding cases and arbitrating disputes. This should be unthinkable. It should be noted that our justice system is adversarial. It renders decisions that either hurt or make litigants happy. Individuals have no choice but to respect court decisions. The converse will be anarchy.

Magistrate Kivuti was killed after making an unfavourable ruling against a relative of the senior officer. No one needs reminding that strong and independent institutions are the cornerstones of any democracy and society. That is why we are asking Parliament and the Executive to ensure that judicial officers get the facilities and tools they need and accord them dignity.