Clement Kamau @PeopleDailyKe
Chief Justice Willy Mutunga has defended the Judiciary against corruption allegations saying the vice is insignificantly low. He said majority of judges and magistrates have no integrity issues and serve with distinction and professionalism and hence should not be tarred by the same brush of corruption.
Speaking at the Limuru law courts during the launch of a magistrates and Kadhi’s court registry manual, Mutunga said the Judiciary has been cleaning its house since 2011.
Mutunga, who is also the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) chair, said only three out of 143 judges are facing a tribunal while nine out of the 450 magistrates and 65 out of about 4,000 staff are facing disciplinary proceedings.
He said the figures are a clear demonstration that “almost all judicial officers are above board”. “Over the years, we have established an anti-corruption and integrity infrastructure ranging from the office of Judiciary Ombudsman, Judicial Service Commission Inspectorate to Directorate of Internal Audit and Risk, all which have yielded dividends,” he said, adding that the high profile anti-corruption interventions of the last few weeks is simply a reflection of the infrastructure in motion and action.
Mutunga said whenever the public has raised graft questions, the judiciary has always responded and acted, saying the narrative that it is corrupt should change and Kenyans should start acknowledging the gallant fights and gains.
“The public should henceforth have confidence in institutions which tackle corruption whenever it arises, and not those that sweeps the vice under the carpet,” said Mutunga.
The CJ, who was flanked by JSC commissioner Aggrey Mchelule, Magistrate’s court registrar Peter Mulwa, representatives from the Netherlands, and UNDP and Limuru MP Kiragu Chege, said the registry manual would transform court procedures.
“The manual will help subordinate court registries realign operations to the aspirations of the judiciary transformation framework and to the expectations of the public,” he said.
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