President William Ruto has said that he will appoint six judges, who were rejected by his predecessor, to the Court of Appeal as recommended by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
The six judges who are Weldon Korir, Joel Ngugi, George Odunga, Aggrey Muchelule, Judy Omange and Evans Kiago had their appointments declined two years ago by former President Uhuru Kenyatta over cited integrity flaws on the part of the said judges.
“To further demonstrate my commitment to the Independence of the judiciary, this afternoon, I will appoint the six judges already nominated for appointment to the Court of Appeal which was done three years ago by the Judicial service commission,’’ he said.
He stated that he will precide over the swearing in of the six judges tomorrow.
“Tomorrow, I shall preside over their swearing in so that they can get on with the business of serving the people of Kenya,” he added.
Kenyatta had insisted that there was evidence to suggest that the six judges had credibility issues that made them unsuitable for their appointment and that he could not ignore available information questioning the integrity of the judges.
The move made by Uhuru left a storm of unleashed debate with human rights and constitutional groups demanding that law should intervene with the given decision.
The time that the appointment of the six judges was rejected is the same time Chief Justice Martha Koome was appointed to office.
The decision to appoint the six judges came moments later after Ruto took his oath of office as the fifth Head of State.