Don’t rush new laws, warns judge

BY WAHOME THUKU

Supreme Court judge Njoki Ndung’u has warned against rushing implementation of the new Constitution.

Lady Justice Ndung’u, who is one of the crafters of the Constitution, said rushing the process will lead to a false start. She said contrary to wide perceptions, the Constitution was not designed to be implemented at once or by the current Parliament only.

"It was not for this Parliament to legislate all the laws. We will take ten to 15 years to fully implement the Constitution, but if we rush, it we would fail," the judge said.

She was addressing members of the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya (ICPSK) during their 19th annual dinner at Panafric Hotel in Nairobi on Wednesday evening.

Ndung’u was a member of the technical committee of experts that drafted the Constitution. She was also a nominated MP at a time debate on the Constitution review was at its peak. The judge, who was the chief guest, urged professionals to get more involved in management of counties.

run like businesses

"The running of counties will determine the economic growth of the country. But they will only succeed if they are run like businesses, so you should be looking for good managers," she told ICPSK members.

The judge said devolution of services will not happen at the same time for all counties.

Ndung’u appealed to the public to shift debate from political aspects of the next election to technical issues.

She said Judiciary has undergone tremendous reforms in the past months, but more is yet to be done.

"Success will not come from internal reforms only. We must respect judicial decisions even as we make criticism of the Judiciary," she added. Ndung’u appealed to the public to shift debate from political aspects of the next election to technical issues.

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