This archive report was first published on 18 November 2021.
On November 18, 2021, Chief Justice Martha Koome revealed that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) would be investigating the conduct of Justice Said Chitembwe, whose integrity had been questioned due to viral videos on social media.
The videos, which were linked to a land case under investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), raised serious integrity concerns about Justice Chitembwe, who had downplayed the issue, claiming the videos were edited and manipulated to malign his name.
According to the Judicial Service Commission's procedures, the removal of a judge can only be initiated by the Commission acting on its own motion or on the petition of any person to the Commission.
Justice Chitembwe, who was vetted for the position of Chief Justice in April 2021, accused former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko of pursuing a personal vendetta against him, as Sonko had posted the recent videos.
"The Chief Justice has taken judicial notice of what has been reported in the media and the Judicial Service Commission is seized of the matter," the CJ's office stated. "The Judicial Service Commission will meet to deliberate on the issue according to its constitution and statutory set procedures."
"I am just an individual and I was not born in the Judiciary. I am Muslim and if your risk is finished you will go. I believe in God, I am not insisting that I have to remain in the Judiciary but I will not be pushed to step aside because of false allegations," he said during an interview on KTN News on Wednesday.
