The same divide is evident in the elections for the representative of the society in the JSC. Ahmednasir has had a high-profile, if controversial, public life as LSK chairman, and also as chair of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (now Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission) advisory board. He also had a controversial first term as a member of the JSC. In the elections, he claims he is the anti-establishment candidate because of difficulties he had in the JSC, which culminated in his attempted removal. Ojienda served as a member of the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission, whose report to President Uhuru Kenyatta was altered under unclear circumstances. A section of the profession has asked that he should clear the air about that matter as he seeks to represent the society on the JSC. Like Ahmednasir, the third candidate, Omogeni, served as chair of the KACC advisory board. It is reported that, uncharacteristically, large sums of money have been spent in the campaign for the election of LSK’s representative to the JSC, defying a rational cost/benefit analysis. The reported massive expenditure has lent credence to claims of external involvement in the elections. A specific candidate has been accused by others of spending big and is, for this reason, being portrayed as the candidate for the establishment. At LSK, therefore, the more things have changed, the more they have remained the same. If, as alleged, there is an external attempt to influence who represents the society on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), this ultimately is a major threat to the independence of the Judiciary, and should have us worried. George Kegoro.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 08:18:15 +0000
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