CJ Maraga to vote NO in the Referendum, issues his last speech

Chief Justice David Kenani Maraga could oppose the forthcoming Referendum following his Friday utterances while issuing his last speech.

In a thanksgiving event held at The Supreme Court in Nairobi, Maraga urged Kenyans to reject any changes that might threaten the independence of the Judiciary which makes the Third Arm of Government.

“We are going back to the period when the Judiciary was an appendage of the executive which Kenyans fought very hard to remove in passing the 2010 constitution,” he explained in reference to the proposal on creation of an independent office of the Judiciary Ombudsman JO, whose holder, according to the BBI proposal, shall be appointed by the siting President.

Issuing his speech on Wednesday during Signature launch at KICC Nairobi, ODM Party boss Raila Odinga defended the creation of the office of the Judiciary Ombudsman saying this will ensure better services from the Judiciary through close oversight.

“The Ombudsman will be interviewed by a panel and three names be submitted to the President who will pick one and send to parliament for vetting and finally be appointed by the President. How does that erode the independence of the judiciary?” Odinga posed.

Maraga who is leaving for a terminal leave on December 15^th beefore his final retirement scheduled in January next year stated that he would retire a happy man despite having not done everything as expected of him.

He seized the opportunity to fault President Uhuru Kenyatta over what he termed as deliberate sabotage of his office through low and delayed funding.

“It is on the record that the president promised to revisit, and we saw it in reduction of judiciary budget and that’s why the courts countrywide are yet to be completed,” he reminisced.

“Irregular budget cuts disrupt judicial processes, there was a year when the ICT budget was wholly slashed or their budget not factored in, it is a miracle that we have continued to execute our mandate,” added the outgoing CJ.

He concluded his speech by asking the president to quickly appoint the judges saying the delays were not only unconstitutional but also dangerous for the peace of this country. Video/Courtesy-

https://youtu.be/-J12qeH0kyU