Koome yields to demands for talks on corrupt judges, invites key stakeholders » Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 10 – Chief Justice Martha Koome has agreed to meet with Prof. PLO Lumumba to discuss allegations of corruption within the Judiciary.
In a statement Monday night, Koome announced that the meeting will include representatives from the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), the Senior Counsel Bar, members of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), and court heads.
The agenda of the meeting will focus on creating a comprehensive and actionable roadmap to ensure that complaints from the legal profession and the public about corruption and misconduct by judges, judicial officers, and staff include sufficient details for immediate action by the JSC.
Koome added that the meeting will also provide updates on complaints currently before the JSC and outline mechanisms adopted by the Judiciary to combat corruption and enhance transparency and accountability.
“I have accepted and convened a consultative meeting to comprehensively discuss concerns regarding integrity within the Judiciary and the legal profession,” Koome stated.
Additionally, the Chief Justice has directed the Secretary of the JSC to deploy an investigative team to engage directly with Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi over allegations of judicial bribery.
Abdullahi’s allegations have sparked heated public debate on the integrity of Kenya’s Judiciary.
However, Koome noted that the claims lacked critical details, such as the identities of those allegedly involved.
To ensure impartiality, the CJ said she has referred the matter to multiple investigative agencies, including the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), and the Inspector General of Police.
“I urge Ahmednasir Abdullahi, SC, to cooperate with the officers from the JSC if his allegations are made in good faith and aimed at promoting an open and transparent Judiciary for the benefit of all Kenyans,” Koome said.
Lumumba’s letter
Koome’s response followed a letter from PLO Lumumba on December 5, seeking a meeting to discuss ways to restore the Judiciary’s integrity.
Lumumba stated that he would be accompanied by three advocates and urged Koome to take immediate action on the concerns raised.
Lumumba also criticized the Judiciary over allegations by Ahmednasir regarding judicial officers in Mombasa who were allegedly accepting bribes or other inducements in exchange for favorable rulings, a practice he referred to as “JurisPesa.”
“Your Ladyship, the time to act through the Judicial Service Commission is now. The allegations in the public domain can no longer [be] dismissed. To illustrate the reputational damage, whenever I travel abroad, people frequently reference Kenya’s corrupt Judiciary,” Lumumba wrote.
CJ Koome’s invitation marks a change of tune having consistently dismissed “unfounded” corruption allegations in the Judicuary.
On November 22, she dismissed Ahmednasir’s claims of corruption and bribery, stating that no one had ever attempted to bribe her in her 22 years of judicial service.
“The allegations [are] intended to tarnish my reputation and distract me from my duties. I know who I am, what I have done, and what I intend to do,” Koome asserted.
“In all these 22 years as a judge and Chief Justice, no one has ever approached me with a bribe. If they had, I would have had them arrested.”
Koome called on individuals making such accusations to present credible evidence to security agencies or the judicial oversight commission. She also highlighted that some of the criticism directed at her stems from gender bias.
“It is pure misogyny. It is total chauvinism,” she said.
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