This archive report was first published on 29 October 2021.
On October 29, 2021, Chief Justice Martha Koome issued a strongly worded letter to former Judiciary boss Willy Mutunga, criticizing his attempt to undermine her authority.
Mutunga had announced plans to rally judges of the Court of Appeal to down tools in protest of President Uhuru Kenyatta's refusal to appoint six justices, four of whom were to serve at the appellate court.
According to Koome, Mutunga's suggestion was 'outrageous' and threatened to delay justice for millions of Kenyans, with over 700,000 pending court cases worth billions of shillings.
She reminded Mutunga that he had previously adopted a diplomatic approach to resolve a similar impasse in 2015, when he was the head of the Judiciary, and urged him to do the same now.
“The implication for calling for a judicial strike is far-reaching. It is in part, calling for suspension or dismemberment of the constitution by excluding one arm of the government from constitutional operations of our democratic state,” Koome said.
