Chief Justice David Maraga Thursday hit back at Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i over his claim that some “evil clique” of judges had been captured by the opposition and “activist lawyers”.
In a terse response, Judge Maraga said Dr Matiang’i had spoken about a matter pending before the Court of Appeal, and should let the court deal with it.
“It is not true that any judges have been captured by the opposition, as it is being said,” Justice Maraga told journalists in Nairobi on Thursday morning.
“It is the orders they are issuing in their normal course of business. They could make mistakes in those orders. And we are saying, if they make mistakes, let there be an appeal. And when it is filed, wait for the matter to be dealt with.
That is why I do not want to comment on the minister’s comments. Let the Court of Appeal deal with that.”
Appearing before the National Assembly Security Committee on Tuesday, Dr Matiang’i lamented about judicial officers he said were in a competition to embarrass the government, and stop state officers from performing their roles.
“It is an evil clique of judicial officers who want to drag us by the collar through the streets of public opinion,” said Dr Matiang’i, who insisted that the government, in the Miguna case, was condemned unheard.
But while refusing to address the matter in which Dr Matiang’i, Inspector-General Joseph Boinnet and Immigration Principal Secretary Gordon Kihalangwa were convicted for contempt over the second deportation of lawyer Miguna Miguna, judge Maraga said that there were open channels for the government to appeal the decision if they were dissatisfied with it.
