Chief Justice David Maraga has told National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale to stop the "public lynching of judges who are merely performing their constitutional duties."
Maraga said the Judiciary and judges would continue to discharge their constitutional mandate “independently, fairly, impartially and firmly as guided by the Constitution”.
“We will not be intimidated and blackmailed, either as individual judges or as an institution. This is what we owe the Kenyan public, as well as to our oaths of office,” he said in a Thursday evening statement.
“Hon. Duale must stop the public lynching of judges who are merely performing their constitutional duties.”
The CJ was responding to the attack by the Garissa Town MP on High Court Judge Justice Odunga.
Duale had accused Justice Odunga of playing tribal politics and being partisan.
“And I want to tell one Judge Odunga, when we open on January 24, I will introduce a motion to discuss you. We will expose you. You cannot be a member of the Bench and play tribal politics,” Duale said.
In his ruling on a legal challenge by the Opposition on the proposed amendments to Election Laws, Judge Odunga said that nothing could stop the court from reversing any decisions that will be made by Parliament.
Jubilee MPs used their numerical strength to pass the amendments to the electoral law in the National Assembly, which Cord has strongly opposed.
Cord has since called for street demos on January 4, 2017, to protest passing of amended electoral laws.
The Opposition is accusing Jubilee of frustrating justice.