Chief Justice Martha Koome has asked the court to grant orders prohibiting the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) from listening to any petitions against Supreme Court judges.
While suing the JSC on Friday, February 21, Koome termed the recent move by the Commission to listen to petitions seeking the removal of Supreme Court judges as a 'mockery of the justice system'. Koome was joined by Deputy Chief Justice Philemona Mwilu and fellow Supreme Court judge Njoki Ndung'u in suing the JSC arguing that the Commission had no authority to review the decisions and/or judges of the Apex Court. "The 1st Respondent (JSC) has no jurisdiction whatsoever to entertain any petition with regard to a Court, whether disguised as a petition initiated against all the members constituting the said Court individually or against the Court itself," Koome stated in her petition filed to the High Court. Chief Justice Martha Koome during a review of the anti-corruption strategic guiding framework in Nairobi on February 18, 2025.
Photo NCAJ "Indeed, it is the Supreme Court which has the ultimate authority over the 1st Respondent on matters of removal of Judges of Superior Courts," she added.
The latest development comes amid rising tension in the Judiciary with Supreme Court judges in the spotlight after a petition seeking their removal was filed by a section of prominent city lawyers led by lawyer Nelson Havi.
