This archive report was first published on 8 June 2020.
On June 8, 2020, Chief Justice David Maraga called on President Uhuru Kenyatta to end the standoff over the appointment of 41 new judges, citing a biting shortage of judicial officers to handle the case backlog.
Speaking at the Supreme Court, Maraga said President Kenyatta's refusal to swear in the judges has contributed to the backlog of cases currently being experienced in the Judiciary.
“You know I have respect for you as our President, you also know that I have unsuccessfully sought an appointment with you to sort out these issues but it has been futile leaving me with no option but to make this public,” he said.
Maraga asked the President to direct the Attorney General to begin the process of satisfying the decrees issued by the courts, citing two court orders that compelled the President to appoint the judges to their respective positions.
The Chief Justice also complained about an emergent trend by the government to refuse to obey court orders, including delaying payment of decrees for victims of accidents caused by government vehicles.
“In addition to these two specific orders, the Executive consistently disregards court orders. Recently, against court orders, the government evicted squatters in Kariobangi… The government has refused to order court decrees, many of them on the compensation of road accident victims caused by government vehicles,” said Maraga.
Maraga urged the President to demonstrate faith and respect the rule of law and comply with court orders, warning that the President's disregard of court orders doesn't bode well for constitutional democracy and is potentially a recipe for anarchy.
