Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Lawyers list 10 for top Judiciary jobs


Stephen Mudiari | NATION Law Society of Kenya chairman Kenneth Akide during a press conference at the society’s offices in Nairobi on Monday. LSK has said it will pass a list of 10 names to the President and the Prime Minister for consideration for the posts of Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice. Looking on are some of the society’s council members.

By Nation Reporter
Posted Monday, September 27 2010 at 22:00

Lawyers have compiled a list of 10 colleagues they consider fit to occupy the two top posts in the Judiciary.

But they refused to divulge the names of their candidates for Chief Justice and his deputy, arguing that doing so would invite the ire of those excluded and also jeopardise the vetting of judges and magistrates.

They also accused Justice minister Mutula Kilonzo of usurping the powers of two key Constitution implementation teams when he recently published three Bills.

“Mr Kilonzo jumped he gun by publishing the Bills,” LSK chairman Kenneth Akide said.

Mr Akide, who was accompanied by LSK council members, said that as long as the Commission for Implementation of the Constitution and the Parliamentary Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee were not in place, Mr Kilonzo’s Bills were mere drafts.

They said the formation of the two teams should be the first priority when Parliament resumes on Tuesday.

Mr Kilonzo published the Commission on the Implementation of the Constitution Bill, the Vetting of Judges and Magistrates Bill and the Judicial Service Commission Bill, which are to be tabled in Parliament.

The lawyers also opposed any involvement of foreign experts in the implementation.

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