This archive report was first published on 22 August 2019.
On August 22, 2019, George Morara, a lawyer working with Gary Ombonge and Company Advocates, appeared before the Judicial Service Commission for a job interview to become a judge of the Environmental Land Court.
However, the interview did not go as planned for Morara, who claimed to have been in practice for 15 years. He struggled to answer questions posed to him, leaving many to question his competence and experience.
When asked about his legal philosophy, Morara stuttered and provided a vague response, stating, 'Uuuummm, uuuhh my legal philosophy is that I’m aaaa, uuumm, a person who believes in change, who believes in an actual change, dynamic in a sense that we make the laws and prudence, it keeps on changing progressively and arises from the community.'
He also struggled to answer a question about how the Constitution of Kenya secures judicial independence, stating, 'The constitution is under the article uuummm… I have forgotten the article. It is separated, they have separated the three arms of the government, the Judiciary, Legislature and…'
As the interview progressed, it became clear that Morara was not well-prepared, and his responses only added to the embarrassment.
One lawyer who saw the video of the interview stated, 'This is a practicing advocate who is meant to be conversant with the laws and the constitution, however, this is a highlight of blatant failure to understand or know the laws.'
