Why discriminative contempt of court laws had to be invalidated

The High Court has nullified a statute that regulated the enforcement of the contempt of court powers after finding that the process of enactment was faulty and that aspects of the law contravene the Constitution.

In a judgment issued last week, High Court Judge Chacha Mwita found that “the entire Contempt of Court Act … is invalid for lack of public participation as required by… the Constitution” and also invalidated specific provisions for contravening the constitution.