Chief Justice Martha Koome has requested President Uhuru Kenyatta to appoint the remaining six judges whose names were not gazetted.
President Kenyatta turned down the nomination of six judges to the Court of Appeal, Environment, and Lands Court. They included Justices Aggrey Muchelule, George Odunga, Weldon Korir, and Prof Joel Ngugi who were to join the Court of Appeal.
In a statement issued by CJ Koome on Friday, Koome distanced herself from the recruitment process which happened two years ago but requested the Head of State to appoint the judges.
"I am aware that on 11th January 2014 the JSC recommended the appointment of 25 nominees as judges, and on June 2014 the President initially appointed 11 of them and subsequently appointed the remaining 14.
"We call upon H.E the President to similarly appoint the remaining 6 judges because the judiciary is still in dire need as the backlog of cases is increasing. We should find a lasting solution so that moving forward, this kind of delay and misunderstanding will be a thing of the past," part of the statement read.
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On Thursday, the Head of State gazetted the names of 34 judges, rejecting 6, a matter that caused an uproar among members of the Judiciary, the Law Society of Kenya, and the general public.
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In response, Kenyatta fiercely defended his decision, stating that his actions were guided by the constitution and were in the interest of the general public.
“As long as I serve as president, I will choose the right over convenient; the hard over the easy, and I am not doing this for myself but for the people of Kenya and for posterity," the President said.
Here is the statement by the CJ:
