In June 2011, Dr Willy Mutunga made an address from the steps of the Supreme Court as he took over as Chief Justice.
And at exactly 3pm, Dr Mutunga stood on the same steps to bid farewell to judges and other judicial staff as his tenure ended.
The outgoing CJ also used the opportunity to hand the Judiciary flag over to Justice Mohamed Ibrahim, who will head the Supreme Court in acting capacity until the new Chief Justice is installed. And Dr Mutunga did not start his address in English but chose sheng.
Mutunga, who had been meeting various groups ahead of his exit, said: "Today is my last day a Chief Justice. I love you all and may Allah bless you."
He described his tenure as one that saw the Judiciary become more independent and humane, one that defended the Constitution and exponentially expanded access to justice.
He said it was under his watch that the backlog of cases was reduced, including some that had been in the system for over 30 years.
"We also invested massively in infrastructure. It is a Judiciary that has unflinchingly fought corruption, even as the corruption sisterhood and brotherhood have activated their solidarities in other arenas; and one that is accountable, open and responsible to the public, as well as to its employees," Mutuga added.
Dismiss application
And during his final moments in office, Mutunga made a major ruling when he dismissed an application by his deputy Kalpana Rawal and judge Philip Tunoi, who sought to retire much later. He was joined by his colleagues in the Supreme Court, Smokin Wanjala and Mohamed Ibrahim as he made the final decision.
The ruling did not last for five minutes and Mutunga refused to entertain Justice Tunoi's lawyer Pheroze Nowrojee, who wanted to address him.
From around 12 noon, Mutunga received reports from various judicial teams that explained how they have carried out their mandates in efforts to reform the judiciary.
They included a performance contracting report by Justice Daniel Musinga, the report on a task force on children's matters by Justice Martha Koome and another on alternative justice systems by Justice Joel Ngugi. There was one on bail and bond implementation by Justice Jessie Lesiit as well as one on Judiciary land and asset recovery by Justice John Mwera.
Mutunga had a light moment with judges just before his last address as CJ. While bidding him farewell, Justice Mwera said: "You go out there and continue succeeding. You did your best, not that you were the best. Another one will take over and that is how the game is."
