Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss George Kinoti clashed with Chief Justice David Maraga during the arrest of Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu.
Mwilu had been under weeks of investigations over allegations of corruption, abuse of office and tax evasion.
On the material day, the DCI had stormed the judiciary to have Mwilu arrested. However, the CJ wanted detectives to let the matter be handled by the Judicial Service Commission.
The stand-off saw the teams retire to the CJ’s boardroom where a heated argument ensued.
A book by International Commission of Jurists and Journalists For Justice; 60 Days of Independence, Kenya’s Judiciary through three presidential election petitions, details the bad blood that apparently existed between the judiciary and other government arms resulting from the August 8, 2017 election annulment.
It is this perceived bad blood that made Kinoti and Maraga clash.
“Who do you think you are?” Kinoti is quoted to have barked at Maraga.
Reading the mood at the boardroom, the DCJ surrendered herself to detectives.
The arrest on Tuesday, August 28, 2018, was linked, by critics, to Uhuru Kenyatta’s remarks when his 2017 election victory was annulled that they would revisit the matter.