Kenya's Chief Justice takes up office

BY PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE

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null 1/1 President Kibaki presents the new constitution to Chief Justice Willy Mutunga/PPS NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 20 - Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, his Deputy Nancy Baraza and the Director of Public Prosecution assumed office on Monday, moments after they were sworn into office at State House by President Mwai Kibaki. The President said the ceremony marked a turning point for the judiciary and urged them to live to the expectations of the country.  "Over the past years Kenyans have called for the overhaul of our judicial system.  The desire among Kenyans was as a result of a wide range of challenges that have, over time, eroded public confidence in the Judiciary," the President said.  The President cited challenges that had been synonymous with the judiciary which included a backlog of cases; unethical conduct on the part of some judicial officers that impede fair dispensation of justice and weak administrative structures that undermine the effective administration of courts. "Your appointments are therefore a critical pillar in the process of addressing these challenges and delivering the transformation of the judiciary that Kenyans desire.  The reform of the Judiciary is a matter of great public interest that will greatly affect our efforts towards opening a new chapter of rule of law in our country," the Head of State said. The President urged Kenyans to support the appointees as they endeavour to reform the judicial system. Dr Mutunga, Ms Baraza and Mr Tobiko were last week cleared by Parliament for appointment after a rigorous vetting process. On Thursday last week the President also gazetted five Supreme Court judges but their swearing in was halted a day later by the High Court, after a group of women organisations challenged their appointment on the ground that it negated the Constitution as far as gender equality was concerned. The women's organisations led by the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Kenya, claim that the nominations of the five judges was not gender sensitive and want them stopped form assuming office until the anomaly is rectified. Other organisations that moved to court are the Centre for Rights, Education and Awareness, The League of Kenya Women Voters, Women in Law and Development in Africa, Caucus for Women Leadership and the Coalition on Violence against Women (COVAW). The President had gazetted the appointments of Justices Philip Tunoi, Jackton Ojwang, Mohammed Ibrahim and lawyers Dr Smokin Wanjala and Njoki Ndung'u to the coveted posts of Judges of the first ever Supreme Court in Kenya.

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