Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga has asked current CJ Martha Koome to stop turning matters of national interest, personal.
Speaking on Saturday, Mutunga said the CJ was politicizing the judiciary instead of focusing on delivery of justice.
He noted that the judiciary will not serve the public if the integrity of the office holder is questionable.
“Independence of the Judiciary without integrity is nothing. Integrity is the core,” he said.
Read: CJ Koome Condemns Mutunga’s Call for Judges to Go On Strike
“You don’t want to lead a country where little things like this should look vindictive. You are giving people the amnesia they shouldn’t have.”
He advised Koome to ensure all arms of government work together instead of giving the head of state orders.
“The Judicial Service Commission should sit down and talk with the President. There is really no need of politicizing and ethnicizing this issue. That is what they are doing, and it won’t end well,” he continued.
Mutunga also stated that President Uhuru Kenyatta has in the past declined to appoint judges, noting that this year’s case was not isolated.
Read Also: Former CJ Mutunga wants Judges to Down Tools Over State’s “Disobedience” of Court Orders
“This is not the first time the President is refusing to swear in Judges. He did the same in 2015, but what we did was sit down and have dialogue with him.”
On Friday, CJ Koome castigated Mutunga for calling on judges to down tools in protest of the continued disobedience of court orders by the Executive.
Mutunga had on Thursday indicated a go-slow by the judges would compel the Executive to obey court orders and rule of law.
She stated that Mutunga’s calls amount to incitement meant to disrupt access to justice for Kenyans.
Read Also: President Uhuru Appeals High Court Ruling Ordering Appointment of Six Judges in 14 Days
“The implications of calling for a judicial strike are far-reaching. It is in part, calling for the suspension or dismemberment of the Constitution by excluding one arm of Government from the constitutional operations of our democratic state,” said Koome.
She added: “The former Chief Justice’s perilous call for Judges to down their tools, an outcome which he consciously avoided during his tenure, is not the answer.”
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