This archive report was first published on 15 July 2020.
On July 14, 2020, High Court Judge James Wakiaga announced that he was stepping down from hearing the murder case of former Kabete MP George Muchai, who was shot dead in 2015 alongside his three aides.
The judge's decision comes after the five accused individuals in the case reported him to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) for gross misconduct and incompetence.
According to a report by Kenyan Digest, the accused had complained about Judge Wakiaga's behavior and were pursuing him to be investigated.
High Court Judge James Wakiaga. (Photo: Kenyan Digest)
George Muchai was reportedly murdered in 2015 at the Kenyatta Avenue-Uhuru Highway roundabout in Nairobi.
Four suspects, including Raphael Kimani alias Kim Butcher, Kimani Anyonyi alias Musti, Stephen Lipapo alias Chokore, and Erick Muyera alias Chairman, had been accused of the crime.
They had previously urged Judge Wakiaga to step down from the case in 2019, citing a lack of confidence in him.
"We are not satisfied with this court. We have lost confidence in it and we want the judge to disqualify himself for being biased," they stated.
Elsewhere, a case in which four suspects were accused of killing Dirib Kombo Chief Dida Gogana in December 2018 has been handed to a new judge, Anne Ong'injo.
