Chief Justice David Maraga has advised Kenyans not to accept any proposals in the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Constitutional Amendment push that may interfere with the independence of the Judiciary.
Speaking during the release of the State of the Judiciary and Administration of Justice Annual Report 2019/2020, which was his last official function as Chief Justice, Maraga urged Kenyans to reject any clause in the BBI document that seeks to interfere with the separation of powers among the three arms of government.
He noted that Judiciary plays a key role in the administration of justice and political stability, and as such, its independence needs to be maintained.
“We are going back to the period when the Judiciary was an appendage of the executive which Kenyans fought very hard to remove in passing the 2010 constitution,” he said.
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Maraga faulted President Uhuru Kenyatta for not swearing-in the 41 judges nominated by the Judicial Service Commission, stating that the move interfered with the dispensation of justice.
He further noted that as he leaves, he is happy to have accomplished a lot despite budgetary cuts from the executive.
“It is on the record that the president promised to revisit, and we saw it in reduction of judiciary budget and that’s why the courts countrywide are yet to be completed… Irregular budget cuts disrupt judicial processes, there was a year when the ICT budget was wholly slashed or their budget not factored in, it is a miracle that we have continued to execute our mandate,” he divulged.
