Group files petition seeking removal of High Court Judge Oscar Angote
High Court Judge Oscar Angote
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has received a petition seeking the removal of High Court Judge Oscar Angote over allegations of gross misconduct.
The judge is yet to be served to be able to respond to the same.
He is the latest judicial officer to be accused before the employer.
The petition, submitted by the Trusted Society of Human Rights Alliance, claims that Justice Angote is “not a fit and proper person to serve as a judge,” accusing him of betraying his oath of office.
According to the alliance, the judge allegedly met with a petitioner while actively handling the petitioner’s case.
“As in all other instances, the learned judge failed to disclose this meeting or his relationship with the litigant. It remains unclear how many other meetings, personal interactions, or communications took place between the judge and the litigant,” the petition states.
Justice Angote is also accused of incompetence in several rulings.
“The judge refused to nullify the plaintiff’s title despite testimony from the Principal Land Registrar indicating that the title was not procedurally issued. The title was granted before the issuance of letters of allotment and the deed plan. In such a case, a title that has not been properly issued is inherently defective,” the petition reads.
Additionally, the judge is accused of issuing an ex parte injunction for over 14 days against 15 landowners and developers, arbitrarily halting construction projects worth billions without granting them a chance to be heard.
The petition further alleges that Justice Angote violated the constitutional right to access justice and a fair hearing.
“In a ruling delivered on November 20, 2024, in ELC No. 132 of 2015 (Soy Developers Limited v. Kenagri Products Limited and four others), the learned judge granted stay orders on the condition that the applicant deposits Kshs. 500 million in a joint interest-earning account,” the petition states.
“The judge failed to uphold the right to access justice by imposing an exorbitant financial requirement as a condition for a stay pending appeal,” it adds.
The alliance is calling for the formation of a tribunal to investigate the allegations and facilitate the judge’s removal.
“The learned judge has exhibited partiality, incompetence, and blatant favoritism, all of which amount to unethical conduct unbefitting a High Court judge,” the petition concludes.
All Supreme Court judges are fighting for their survival in court after petitions were filed against them.