The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) grilling 76 candidates for judges’ posts as Judiciary seeks boost

By Wahome Thuku

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is interviewing 76 candidates for appointment as High Court judges.

The interviews began on Monday at the Supreme Court and will go on until July 23. JSC intends to hire 40 judges, to be nominated soon after interviews, for appointment by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

These will be the first judges appointed by Uhuru. Only Deputy Chief Justice Kalpana Rawal has taken office as a judge since the Jubilee government came to power, but had been nominated by JSC and appointed by President Kibaki before the polls.

election petitions

The new judges are expected to boost capacity of High Court, which is facing challenges due to the ongoing election petitions.

Among those to be interviewed is Kenya School of Law deputy director Margaret Muigai, the wife of Attorney General Githu Muigai.

Also in the list is a lecturer from the same school Louis Onguto, Nairobi Chief Magistrate Kiarie wa Kiarie as well as other magistrates and advocates in private practice. The 76 were picked from 193 applicants last month. The vacancies were advertised in January.

Hundreds of cases in all High Court stations countrywide have been put on hold for a months as 39 judges are hearing 115 petitions arising from the March 4, General Election.

The judges are expected to conclude all petitions by September, which is six months after the gazettement of the election results.

Some 59 magistrates have also been gazetted to deal with petitions on Country Assembly seats. Currently, the Judiciary has 53 High Court judges and 408 magistrates.

business disputes

Under the Constitution, judges other than the Chief Justice and the deputy are appointed by the President upon being picked by JSC.

Before new judges are picked, a big impact will be felt by litigants, especially at Milimani Commercial Courts in Nairobi, which arbitrates on multibillion shilling worth of suits arising from business disputes.