Kenya’s Chief Justice David Maraga publicly accused President Uhuru Kenyatta of trying to control the Judiciary and disrespecting court orders.

Justice Maraga in a statement read on June 8 made a withering attack on President Kenyatta for refusing to appoint 41 additional judges and snubbing requests for a meeting to discuss a dispute that has strained the relationship between the executive and judiciary for the past eight months.

AG Kariuki, himself a former judge who was head of the Appeals Court at the time of his appointment in 2018, accused his former boss of engaging in personalised attacks against the president, whipping up public emotions and prejudicing cases that may end up before him at the Supreme Court.

The Chief Justice has in the past complained of deep cuts to the Judiciary budget, which have frustrated efforts to hire more judges and magistrates, build more courts and clear a backlog that stood at more than 460,000 cases by February.

TENSE RELATIONS

The Chief Justice has in the past complained of deep cuts to the Judiciary budget, which have frustrated efforts to hire more judges and magistrates, build more courts and clear a backlog that stood at more than 460,000 cases by February.