Court orders JSC to reconsider CJ applicants as interviews start

Court orders JSC to reconsider CJ applicants as interviews start

What you need to know:

  • Justice Odunga faulted JSC for relying on reports from other state bodies to deny the applicants a chance without giving them an opportunity to be heard.
  • The judge also directed JSC to provide all public information relating to the shortlisting of candidates.
  • Judge Visram said that if appointed to be the Chief Justice, he would, in the first 100 days in office, develop a roadmap to roll out IT services.
  • He said he found a backlog of 400 cases in Nyeri and made 378 judgements on pending cases within a year.

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has started interviewing applicants for the position of Chief Justice even as the High Court ordered JSC to reconsider applicants who were not shortlisted to be interviewed for positions of CJ, Deputy Chief Justice and Supreme Court judges.

At the same time, Justice George Odunga ordered JSC not to forward any names to the President for appointment to those positions until those who were left out in the shortlisting are given a chance to be interviewed.

Justice Odunga faulted JSC for relying on reports from other state bodies to deny the applicants a chance without giving them an opportunity to be heard.

The judge also directed JSC to provide all public information relating to the shortlisting of candidates.

The case was filed by Prof Yash Pal Ghai and Trusted Human Rights Alliance seeking orders to compel JSC to provide information on criteria used to shortlist candidates for the three positions.

JUDGE VISRAM INTERVIEWED

Meanwhile, Court of Appeal Judge Alnashir Visram was the first applicant for the post of CJ to appear before the JSC interviewing panel on Monday morning.

Judge Visram said that if appointed to be the Chief Justice, he would, in the first 100 days in office, develop a roadmap to roll out IT services and ensure that filing of cases is automated and that it can be done round the clock.

This, he said, would curb corruption at the registry.

He added that he would introduce the training of mediators who can be used as alternative options for dispute resolution, having been involved in training of such mediators in Kenya, UK, DR Congo and Tanzania.

Citing his record as the presiding judge at the Nyeri Court of Appeal, Mr Visram said he would also deal with backlog of cases to ensure justice is delivered almost in real time.

He said he found a backlog of 400 cases in Nyeri and made 378 judgements on pending cases within a year.