Judiciary Service Commission bosses address the media at the Supreme Court in Nairobi last week. Four of its 11 members come from one ethnicity (36 per cent) raising questions about fairness in the choice of the country’s senior judiciary positions. The situation will improve only slightly in 2028 when Deputy Chief Justice Mwilu and Justice Smokin Wanjala in 2030 retire from the Supreme Court, followed by Justices Koome and Ouko in 2031. The incentive for 150 judges to strive to join the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court is off the table, if current establishment numbers hold. Already, the 550 magistrates in the judiciary’s employ have to pass through four ranks - resident magistrate, senior resident magistrate, principal magistrate, senior principal magistrate and chief magistrate - over a minimum of 10 years before they can interview for judgeship.

Source: Standard Digital May 10, 2021 00:28 UTC