{"id":92229,"date":"2024-09-16T12:03:52","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T12:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/09\/16\/cj-koome-condemns-withdrawal-of-justice-mugambis-security-after-ig-masengeli-sentencing\/"},"modified":"2024-09-16T12:03:52","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T12:03:52","slug":"cj-koome-condemns-withdrawal-of-justice-mugambis-security-after-ig-masengeli-sentencing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/cj-koome-condemns-withdrawal-of-justice-mugambis-security-after-ig-masengeli-sentencing\/","title":{"rendered":"CJ Koome condemns withdrawal of Justice Mugambi\u2019s security after IG Masengeli sentencing"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 16 \u2013 Chief Justice Martha Koome has condemned the withdrawal of Justice Lawrence Mugambi\u2019s security after he handed acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli a six-month jail term for contempt. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking during a press conference, Koome described it as an assault on judicial independence.<\/p>\n

She further stated that it is an affront to the rule of law, and a violation of the principles enshrined in our Constitution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe act of withdrawing the security of a sitting Judge, following a judicial decision that displeased certain authorities, is deeply concerning. It sends a chilling message to the Judiciary and the public at large: that those entrusted with upholding justice and safeguarding our rights can be intimidated, bullied, or retaliated against for their rulings,\u201d Koome said.<\/p>\n

Koome observed that any benefits or conditions of service related to a Judge\u2019s position, including their security, must not be varied to their disadvantage, particularly in retaliation for the lawful execution of their judicial duties.<\/p>\n

The CJ indicated that such action erodes public trust in the independence of the courts undermining the foundation of the constitutional democracy posing a risk to disregard the institutions and descent them into lawlessness.<\/p>\n

Koome urged the National Police Service, to immediately restore the security of Justice Mugambi and fulfill its constitutional duty to respect and enforce the decisions of the courts.<\/p>\n

The CJ said if anyone is dissatisfied a judicial decision, they should use appropriate recourse by appealing to a higher court.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed, we are aware that an appeal has been filed and is yet to be heard and determined. We caution however that retaliatory measures against a Judge or judicial officer have no place in a democratic society,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The CJ strongly condemned the act of intimidation stating that the independence of the Judiciary is guaranteed under the Constitution and the Commission is resolute in defending it.<\/p>\n

Last week, Mugambi sentenced Masengeli for 6 months for defying an order to present himself in court seven times.<\/p>\n

Justice Lawrence Mugambi who was presiding over the case, had ordered Masengeli to present himself to the Commissioner of Prisons.<\/p>\n

He however suspended the sentence for seven days to give him a chance to appear personally to explain the whereabouts of three political activists arrested by the police four weeks ago.<\/p>\n

Mugambi earlier rejected Masengeli\u2019s plea to suspend his sentencing citing a late request.<\/p>\n

Masengeli defied court orders to appear before court to answer allegations of abduction\/arrest of three individuals Bob Micheni Njagi, Jamil Longton, and Salam Longton on the 19th of August, 2024 in Kitengela following a petition filled by the Law Society of Kenya.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 16 \u2013 Chief Justice Martha Koome has condemned the withdrawal of Justice Lawrence Mugambi\u2019s security after he handed acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli a six-month jail term for contempt. Speaking during a press conference, Koome described it as an assault on judicial independence. She further stated that it is an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92229\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}