Former LSK head gives CJ ultimatum over Judiciary graft
By Faith Macharia, January 13, 2025
Former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Nelson Havi has threatened to file a petition pushing for the removal of Chief Justice Martha Koome and all the Supreme Court judges should they not have resigned by Tuesday.
In a statement yesterday, Havi threatened to file a petition for the removal of the entire Supreme Court bench if the CJ does not step down by the set deadline.
Havi accused Koome of using the doctrine of decisional independence to shield judicial officers.
“The concept of decisional independence, as conceptualised by the Chief Justice, holds that complaints against decisions by judges or magistrates can only be addressed through appeals,” Havi said in a recent media interview.
He further alleged that Koome had manipulated the structure of the JSC to protect corrupt judges and magistrates while dismissing accusations that his criticisms stemmed from a personal vendetta.
“I have no evidence or claims of corruption or bribery against Koome. My concern is her tolerance for corruption within the Judiciary,” he said.
The Chief Justice, who was appointed in May 2021 as the first woman to head the judiciary in Kenya has of late been under pressure from a section of lawyers over alleged corruption in the judiciary. But Koome has consistently defended herself against claims that she is a ‘corrupt judge’ amid claims from a section of Kenyans that she is corrupt and incompetent.