Senator Karungo Thang’wa Initiates Process for Judge Impeachment
On Thursday, January 4, Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang’wa disclosed that he had sent a letter to the Senate detailing his plans to modify the High Court and Judicial Service Commission (JSC) Acts.
In an interview with PoliticalPulseChat, Thang’wa clarified that the intention behind the action was to ensure that judges are subject to accountability similar to other constitutional officeholders within the state.
Thang’wa pointed out that while politicians, including the President, undergo evaluations every five years, judges do not go through a similar assessment process.
The parliament member mentioned that if the house approves his suggested changes, it would result in additional impeachments of judges.
“The JSC consists of 11 members with 9 of them being members of the judicial community. This has hampered the Commission in its delivery since they cannot crack the whip on one of their own,” he explained.
The Senator’s proposed alterations involve restructuring the JSC to include a greater number of individuals from the general public who do not have a background in law.
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“This can be achieved by reducing the number of judicial officers in the commission or increasing the JSC membership,” he explained.
Senator Thang’wa clarified that the impeachment decision should not be interpreted as the Kenya Kwanza administration singling out particular judges.
He clarified that judges discovered to have violated their oath of office should face impeachment similar to any other official within the state.
The Senator is suggesting additional alterations that involve creating a specialized Policies Court within the High Court, specifically designed to address legal disputes that challenge government policies.
He commented that this would be similar to the current setup of the Employment and Environmental Courts within the High Court.
On Wednesday, Chief Justice Martha Koome released a statement asserting that judges would not be deterred or frightened by actions from other branches of the government.
In response, President William Ruto stated that he supported the independence of the judiciary but opposed any lawlessness or misconduct exhibited by certain individuals within the judicial system.
Senator Karungo Thang’wa Initiates Process for Judge Impeachment
