Senior Counsel Fred Ngatia has claimed he was rigged out of the Chief Justice position by some commissioners of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
Speaking after JSC nominated Lady Justice Martha Koome for the post, Ngatia who was believed to be among the frontrunners alleged that some commissioners reduced his marks after receiving calls from influential people.
He, however, did not mention the names of the commissioners or provide evidence on how his marks were allegedly reduced.
"Four commissioners from Mt Kenya reduced my scores yesterday afternoon after they were called by powerful people.
"Without that intervention, I was far ahead of all the other candidates," he told a local publication.
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Unconfirmed reports indicate that Ngatia scored 42 marks during the interview, despite his colleagues and other legal practitioners ranking him among the best performers in the the10-day exercise.
Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Nelson Havi also took issue with Ngatia’s marks noting that being a top lawyer in the country, there is no way he only managed to score 42.
“As LSK, we are concerned that our representative could award 42 marks to a distinguished legal practitioner who had applied for CJ. If the guy is the top lawyer, how could he be the bottom candidate for CJ?” Havi said during an interview on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, JSC on Tuesday nominated Lady Justice Martha Koome for appointment as Kenya’s next Chief Justice.
While making the announcement, JSC vice-chair Prof Olive Mugenda noted that Justice Koome’s nomination was a unanimous decision.
