This archive report was first published on 12 June 2020.
On June 12, 2020, a dispute between President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Judiciary escalated, with the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) threatening to expel Attorney-General Kihara Kariuki and Solicitor-General Kennedy Ogeto from the roll of advocates.
The row began when Chief Justice David Maraga accused President Kenyatta of trying to weaken the Judiciary and make it subservient to the executive. The CJ cited the failure to swear in 41 judges, which had led to near paralysis of court operations.
However, Attorney-General Kihara Kariuki defended President Kenyatta, accusing Chief Justice Maraga of breaching established norms of government and direct lines of communication.
LSK has scheduled a meeting on July 23 to consider expelling the two from their roll of advocates, citing 'gross misconduct, subversion of the law, and contravention of duties as an advocate of the High Court.'
Earlier, LSK Nairobi branch chairman Eric Theuri had criticized the sustained reduction of the Judiciary budget, which had placed a heavy burden on access to justice for ordinary citizens.
Lawyers in Mombasa and the North Rift LSK branch have also weighed in, calling on the Attorney-General to state whether he concurred with the decision of the JSC on the hiring of the 41 new judges.
Reporting by Sam Kiplagat, Titus Ominde, and Philip Muyanga.
