Monday, September 16, 2024 – Judiciary has accused the State of withdrawing Justice Lawrence Mugambi’s official security following a case he ruled against police boss, Gilbert Masengeli.
In a Monday September 16 statement shared with the media, the Judiciary and members of the public, the Judicial Service Commission JSC confirmed that, indeed, the security detail of Judge Mugambi was intimidated, disarmed and withdrawn.
“In the wake of this ruling, disturbing action has been taken by the National Police Service over the weekend. The security detail assigned to Hon. Justice Mugambi were disarmed and withdrawn,” stated the JSC statement in part.
The JSC, therefore, described the action as punitive and a direct assault on Judicial independence and an affront to the rule of law.
The judges body added that they are protected by law under Article 160 of the Constitution and that the Judiciary will only be answerable to the law and not anyone else.
Mugambi sentenced the police boss Gilbert Masemgeli for six months in jail in a ruling that required the IG to surrender to the neraest police station.
This was after the IG was ordered by the court to show up and explain the disappearance of three Kenyans at the height of the last anti-government protests by Gen Zs.
Instead, IG Masengeli boycotted all the court proceedings against the law; what led to the ruling that went against him.
Since then, he has been comfortably going on with his police service duties around the country despite the court contempt orders.