Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu will sit in the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) panel interviewing 10 candidates shortlisted for the Chief Justice position.
Judiciary chief registrar and the commission’s secretary, Anne Amadi, on Sunday said all the nine commissioners will be present during the interview process that is scheduled to start later today.
JSC disregarded conflict of interest protests by lawyer Philip Murgor who is seeking to fill the post.
Responding to the JSC on LSK President Nelson Havi’s memorandum on his unfitness to hold the CJ position, Murgor claimed that the former and Mwilu had a client-advocate relationship.
“At this stage, it bears pointing out that Havi represents DCJ Mwilu in several cases pending before the courts and in complaints pending before the JSC,” said Murgor.
On why Mwilu should disqualify herself from the JSC panel, Murgor said it was the only way to preserve the integrity of the process.
“Indeed, should Havi’s preferred candidate secure the positions, the public perception will be that he and his client Mwilu had all along been working in collusion to achieve a pre-determined outcome of discrediting some candidates to illegally ensure the success of others,” he added.
Read: Murgor Wants DCJ Mwilu To Disqualify Herself From JSC Interview Panel Over Conflict of Interest
Murgor also dragged into the matter lawyer Fred Ngatia who like himself is seeking to become the president of the supreme court.
He claimed that Ngatia too was Mwilu’s advocate when she was first vetted in 2012.
He also claimed that Havi had been campaigning for Ngatia while disparaging the other candidates.
“The candidates appear to be caught up in a conspiracy between Mwilu and her two advocates,” the lawyer averred.
He added, “Havi and Mwilu are presumed to consult as often as is required to prepare for the multiplicity of cases or matters which is not a problem but in this case he has been a greatest commentator of the recruitment process on social media.”
Apart from Ngatia and Murgor, the JSC will interview Justice Said Chitembwe, Prof Patricia Mbote, Justice Martha Koome, Justice Marete Njagi, Justice Nduma Nderi, Justice William Ouko, Dr Wekesa Moni and Alice Yano, for the same position.
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