Lawyers kick off drive to fire Mutunga

Chief Justice Willy Mutunga

Senior lawyers and residents in Mombasa County turned upMonday to sign a petition that seeks to remove Chief Justice Willy Mutunga from office.

Donning light green ribbons, the lawyers boycotted court sessions while those representing suspected capital offenders returned case files as sign to protest delays in the hearing and determination of the cases.

By Monday afternoon, more than 400 lawyers and residents had appended their signatures on the petition. The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Mombasa branch said it was targeting 1,000 signatures.

"As we promised, we have started the collection of the signatures to back our petition that seeks the removal of the CJ and the dissolution of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). The petition is being signed by both lawyers and the public," Mombasa LSK branch Chairman Erick Nyongesa said.

The lawyers accused Dr Mutunga of frustrating the dispensation of justice to the coastal residents and failure to address their concerns despite sending him several petitions. They demanded the composition of a new JSC team, saying the current commission had failed in its mandate.

The lawyers have since January 2013 been agitating for an increase of judicial officers at the Mombasa Law Courts.

"The six Coastal counties in spite of having the worst land disputes is served by two judges in Environment and Lands courts serving at Mombasa and Malindi (Kilifi)," said Nyongesa.