Chief Justice David Maraga has revealed that the Judiciary will not be intimidated by politicians who are continuously intimidating Judges. While addressing the press Chief Justice Maraga said the trend is a vile affront to the rule of law, “The emerging culture of public lynching of judges and judicial officers by the political class is a vile affront to the rule of law and must be fiercely resisted,” he said, adding that some leaders have been attacking individuals or the institution as a whole. He cited examples of leaders who have castigated the judges before, including President Uhuru Kenyatta and NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga
CJ Maraga said lately politicians have been criticizing decisions made by judges and have made threats and demands that go against judicial independence, and he criticized Jubilee’s proposal asking for Judge George Odunga to be replaced, “While we do not wish to respond to this specific demand, we note with concern the audacity of the party as it seeks to select who hears the cases it files in court,” said Maraga. He said judges and judicial officers have no opportunity to defend themselves and assured them of JSC’s stance to defend them from unwarranted attacks.
The Chief Justice further assured Kenyans that the Judiciary is ready to handle election related cases, “Let the public have no doubt that the judiciary is prepared to handle all election-related disputes, at all levels, swiftly and fairly and without fear and favour,” he said.