Chief Justice David Maraga will for the first time be subjected to probe by his very own Judicial Service Commission, it has emerged.
Justice Maraga, who is also the President of the Supreme Court and Chairman of JSC, will get an opportunity to face Mr. Ibrahim Yusuf, his accuser.
Mr. Ibrahim, through the law firm Charles Koech & Associates, had in March pointed out allegations against Mr. Maraga, ranging from tribalism to attending political rallies and lifting a quote from a judgment that was yet to be delivered, among others.
Judiciary Registrar Anne Amadi said the petition will kick off next week on Wednesday. Amadi has told Ibrahim to avail documents and witnesses in the same regard.
The hearing comes at the time Judiciary is at loggerheads with the executive on cutting down of the budget by Sh3 billion, a move that irked Maraga.
“Some of the incidents that we encounter are deliberate attempts to undermine the judiciary. On many occasions, the judiciary has not been given treatment that is commensurate to other organs of government,” Maraga had said.
But last week, Treasury seemed like they had made a u-turn after condemnation from a section of lawyers and politicians.
MPs opposed the proposed cuts, arguing that the move will cripple the functioning of the Judiciary. Already, Maraga had suspended a few court sittings.
“Let us put our feet down for once. Let us not be a committee that made institutions such as the Judiciary weaker. Judiciary is losing and we are not going to do our work because our oversight money has been reduced to zero,” Mark Nyamita, a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee (BAC)—which is reviewing the supplementary budget.
Virtually, all Supreme Court judges have had cases to answer sometime back. Justice Jackton Ojwang' was absolved of misconduct by a tribunal set by President Uhuru Kenyatta recently.
After the hearing, JSC will make recommendations on Maraga's fate. His deputy, Philomena Mwilu, is also facing corruption-related cases in court.