The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on Friday, February 28, hit back at the Commission for Administration of Justice (CAJ), commonly known as the Office of the Ombudsman, after summons by the latter over failure to publish complaints against the Judiciary.
While threatening to take legal action, the JSC, led by Chief Justice Martha Koome, accused the Ombudsman of overstepping their mandate, citing their lack of jurisdiction to issue summons to an independent body such as the JSC. "The JSC will take all necessary steps to defend its constitutional authority and will not tolerate any attempts to undermine its independence," the JSC asserted through a statement.
In the statement signed by JSC Secretary Winfridah Mokaya, the JSC noted that information sought by CAJ over complaints against the Judiciary was already in the public domain, terming the subsequent summons by CAJ as "threats and intimidation." Chief Justice Martha Koome with members of the Judicial Service Commission on Tuesday, March 17, 2022.
Photo JSC "The JSC has repeatedly informed the CAJ that the information it seeks is already publicly available through the JSC Annual Reports and the State of the Judiciary and Administration of Justice Reports (SoJAR), which are published annually and accessible to all Kenyans," the JSC expressed. "These reports comprehensively detail the number, nature, and status of complaints and petitions handled by the JSC," the Commission added.
