Chief Justice Martha Koome has affirmed that the independence of the Judiciary in making decisions must remain beyond interference, even as political leaders intensify criticism of the courts.
Speaking on Friday during a joint retreat of the Judiciary and the National Assembly in Mombasa, Koome underscored the need to protect judges from external pressure, warning that undermining judicial independence would weaken democracy.
“We have institutional independence and decisional independence. At an institutional level, the arms of government can engage. However, decisional independence must always remain sacrosanct,” Koome said.
She reminded leaders that their authority is derived from the people and must be exercised with integrity and good faith. Koome urged political leaders to resolve disputes amicably to prevent ordinary citizens from bearing the brunt of political disagreements.
The CJ stressed that the retreat was not meant to weaken democracy but to foster accountability and strengthen unity in service to the nation.
Her remarks came just days after President William Ruto and Azimio leader Raila Odinga publicly accused the Judiciary of frustrating the fight against corruption.
At the Devolution Conference in Homa Bay, President Ruto singled out what he termed as questionable judicial practices, particularly anticipatory bail, which he alleged was being abused by corruption suspects to evade arrest.
“I ask the Judiciary not to be a haven for the corrupt to hide behind judicial decisions. We have innovations that are only available in Kenya, which allow a corrupt person or someone who has stolen public resources to avoid prosecution. Something called anticipatory bail is a Kenyan innovation that takes us backwards,” Ruto said.
