Race to pick new deputy CJ faces hurdle

By Martin Mutua                 

Kenya will not have a new Deputy Chief Justice soon.

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has been forced to re-advertise for the vacancy after it was dissatisfied with the number of applications submitted, according to impeccable sources.

This effectively means that the current Parliament will not be involved in picking the new DCJ since the deadline for applications has been extended to December 24, 2012.

Parliament is expected to adjourn indefinitely on December 20 for the Christmas holiday and would not reconvene.

It is expected that the House would stand dissolved on January 4, 2013 in accordance with the law, which demands that the dissolution has to take place three months before elections.

Efforts to reach the JSC secretary Mrs Gladys Shollei for details on the process were fruitless as her cellphone went unanswered.

However, sources within the Judiciary told The Standard that there were insufficient applications for the position prompting the decision to re-advertise for the job to be taken by the JSC.

Tribunal

“The JSC met on Monday to review the applications and only three people had applied all of them being women with one lawyer from outside the country also expressing interest,” added the sources.

The seat fell vacant when the first holder of the office Ms Nancy Baraza was forced to resign after a tribunal that had been constituted by President Kibaki found her guilty of misconduct.

Baraza, who was accused of assaulting a security officer Ms Rebecca Kerubo at the Village Market on December 31st last year, was suspended following the tribunal’s recommendation which termed her actions as “gross misconduct and misbehavior”.