The Kenyan Judiciary is under attack and the banners that were hoisted by unknown people last night is just a tip of the iceberg.
Chief Justice Maraga has been a man under siege since he refused to rubber-stamp the sham August 2017 Presidential elections.
The executive which had promised to ‘revisit’ has made it their style to frustrate CJ Maraga leading to him begging for resources.
Recently, the head of the Judiciary was forced to correct what he saw as an overreach by the executive in the Executive order number 1 of 2020 where President Uhuru Kenyatta wanted to return things to the past where the third arm of government of under the manipulation of the executive.
The president of the Supreme Court went on to ask the President to swear in the 41 judges that had passed interviews for promotion. But instead, the executive went ballistic, calling him names and this morning, hanging banners defaming him all over city roads.
Below is a statement by the Judiciary calling on the police to investigate the source of the banners. The statement notes that Judiciary has been ‘under attack’
This morning, a number of banners were found hoisted across some City streets, with messages that were highly insulting and defamatory to the Honourable Chief Justice and other senior Judicial officers. The content of the banners intimated that this was the beginning of a “vicious fight” targeting the Hon. Chief Justice David Maraga in particular and the Judiciary in general. The banners also carried images of the Chief Justice and the senior judicial officers who were the subject of the attacks. While the Judiciary does not know the people behind these attacks, it is clear that the banners are a continuation of well-choreographed attacks on the Judiciary throughout this week, particularly on social media.
These attacks, which are clearly meant to threaten and intimidate the Judiciary, do not and will not detract the Judiciary from discharging its core mandate of dispensing justice in a fair, just, and independent manner, without compromise. These kinds of attacks are not new and we have in the past requested the Police to investigate and bring to book those responsible. We wish to repeat this appeal today, and again request the Inspector General of Police, the Director of Criminal Investigations and other concerned agencies, to investigate and do everything in their power to find and punish those responsible.
Further, we ask the Nairobi County Government as well as the Kenya National High Authority to remain vigilant and ensure that public spaces are not used to perpetuate criminal attacks against the Judiciary and judicial officers.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATION JUDICIARY
