Chief Justice David Maraga has transferred Justice Chacha Mwita from the Constitutional and Human Rights Division in a move likely to raise eyebrows in legal circles.
Others transferred are Lady Justice Wilfrida Okwany and Justices James Aaaron Makau, Wildon Korir and Reuben Nyakundi.
Mwita has been transferred to Kajiado as the presiding judge while Okwany has been moved to the Commercial and Tax Division swapping places with Makau. Korir, who was in Malindi, also joins the Constitutional and Human Rights Division as presiding judge while Nyakundi, who was the presiding judge in Kajiado moves to Malindi.
The changes come at a time the Judiciary is under pressure for allegedly slowing down the war against corruption by giving suspects lenient bail terms.
During the recent conference on corruption, President Uhuru Kenyatta also protested that various injunctions are threatening development projects.
And in an indirect reference to Mwita, who has faced criticism in the past, for shooting down controversial amendments, the President asked Maraga to move on after various caricatures on how the Judiciary is in bed with the corrupt saying it is the courts that stopped the government from regulating bloggers.
In late December, Justice Mwita stopped the intended prosecution of lawyer Tom Ojienda by Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji over claims of financial irregularities at Mumias Sugar Company.
Maraga has, however, previously judges and magistrates, saying he will not interfere with their work.
However, senior council Ahmednasir Abdullahi claims the CJ is out to appease the executive.
BREAKING NEWS….CJ Maraga in move seen by observers to appease the Executive dismantles the Constitutional & Human Rights Division and other divisions of the High Court and appoints judges acceptable to the Executive…more to follow shortly….@makaumutua @Paul_Muite
— Ahmednasir Abdullahi SC (@ahmednasirlaw) February 4, 2019
1 Comment