The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) interferes and limits the dispensation of the vetting process of judges and magistrates, the Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board (JMVB) chairman Sharad Rao has said.
Speaking to journalists at Imperial hotel in Kisumu, Mr Rao said their role is restricted to determining the suitability of the judges and magistrate from the date of appointment to August 27, 2010.
"Recently, through a vetting process,13 judges were found unsuitable according to section 18 of the Vetting and Magistrates Act. However JSC reinstated them back to judiciary," he added.
Mr Rao said with the vetting process, a lot has changed in terms of service delivery on the part of the judiciary to Kenyans.
"The board has done a lot. It has restored public confidence in the court system, service delivery and the general flow of information," he said.
Apart from corruption, the board vets the judges and magistrates based on their competence in writing and making judgements, communication, fairness, temperamental matters and their contribution to the public, the chairman said.
Judge Rueben Chirchir said that the vetting board will vet 60 magistrates in the western region, covering 12 counties.
"We hope there will be no adjournment. We have just vetted a judge from Siaya County," said Chirchir.
The Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board will vet the magistrates for the next six weeks.