By KPC Reporter
A simmering standoff between the Judiciary and the Senior Counsel Bar (SCB) erupted into open confrontation on Friday after senior lawyers boycotted a consultative meeting convened by Chief Justice Martha Koome.
They accused her of sidelining critical agenda items and shielding the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) from accountability.
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The meeting, scheduled at Milimani Ceremonial Hall, was meant to foster dialogue between the Judiciary and the Bar on service delivery.
However, the SCB, led by Chairman Philip K. Murgor, withdrew its official delegation, citing the Chief Justice’s refusal to incorporate their proposed agenda and ensure JSC representation.
Former Law Society of Kenya President Nelson Havi declared: “The CJ called us for a meeting to address service delivery by the Judiciary. We formulated the agenda, significant being the need for JSC to deal with petitions against corrupt judges and to be represented at the meeting.”
“The CJ refused to incorporate the agenda and include the JSC. We boycotted the meeting. The ceasefire is over. There will be war. The CJ must now go.”
The SCB had earlier written to the Chief Justice requesting priority discussion on endemic corruption within the Judiciary, the JSC’s reluctance to discharge its constitutional mandate, and the need for transparency in handling petitions against judicial officers.
In letters dated May 22 and May 26, Murgor stressed that without the JSC’s presence, deliberations would amount to “nothing more than a smoke and mirror exercise.”
The lawyers argued that the Judiciary’s credibility is at stake, pointing to recent reports by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission highlighting escalating graft within the magistracy.
They accused the JSC of failing to provide updates on complaints, investigations, and disciplinary mechanisms, despite public commitments made in December 2024 to deploy investigative teams and issue monthly progress reports.
“The foundation of justice is good faith,” Murgor wrote in one of the letters, invoking Cicero to emphasize the need for integrity.
He insisted that only a full-day meeting involving all stakeholders, including the JSC, could meaningfully address the crisis.
The boycott marks a dramatic escalation in tensions between the Judiciary and the Bar, with senior counsels openly questioning the Chief Justice’s leadership.
By declaring that “the CJ must now go,” Havi signaled a break from cautious engagement to outright confrontation, setting the stage for a bruising battle over judicial accountability.
The Judiciary faces mounting pressure to restore confidence in its institutions. Whether the Chief Justice will respond to the lawyers’ demands or dig in her heels remains to be seen.
The clash underscores deep fissures in Kenya’s justice system at a time when public trust is already fragile.
