Many Happy With Choice of Mutunga, Barasa But Few Fault Process

Lillian Onyango And Galgalo Bocha

14 May 2011

Nairobi — Kenyans continued to react to the nomination of Dr Willy Mutunga and Nancy Barasa as the country’s next chief justice and deputy chief justice.

Executive director of Africa Centre for Open Governance Gladwell Otieno praised the Judicial Service Commission for “a process which was open, transparent and innovative”.

She said the JSC had raised the bar on the level of scrutiny that those who present themselves for public office must be prepared to undergo.

“The process is also beneficial in that, in its openness and rigour, it was completely opposed to the unfortunate recent attempt to nominate heads of the judicial institutions,” she said.

But as the nation continued to react to the appointments, some women leaders complained that the JSC had maintained a trend of giving women more junior roles in public appointments.

Nairobi lawyer Anne Githinji of Women Focus NGO said that women applied for both positions but were denied an opportunity to serve in the position of CJ.

She said that over the years women have fully supported men and time had come for them to reciprocate.

The NGO Council also lauded the JSC for conducting a “transparent recruitment process” and hopes that it will restore the faith of Kenyans to the judicial process.

In a press statement, Administration Manager Fred Ochieng-Olendo said the method used to go about the interviews has given the Judiciary “much needed” integrity.

Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Commissioner Hassan Omar Hassan challenged judges and magistrates to prepare themselves for serious judicial reforms.

While praising Dr Mutunga’s nomination, Mr Hassan said the long journey to transforming the country’s judicial system has just begun, and he put on notice judges who have failed to meet Kenyans expectation.

Mr Hassan urged President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to quickly endorse the nominations and set a good precedent for MPs to approve the appointments of Dr Mutunga and Ms Barasa.

He was addressing a joint press conference in Mombasa with Muslims for Human Rights Executive Director Hussein Khalid on Saturday.

Mr Khalid praised the JSC for conducting thorough and transparent interviews.

But women leaders in Trans Nzoia County regretted that women shunned from applying for the post of Chief Justice while welcoming the nomination of Barasa as the Deputy Chief Justice.

Led by the County Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organisation head Jane Kaitano, they said those who shied away from competing with men would probably have excelled and urged them to apply for competitive positions whenever the vacancies are advertised.

They said the nominations were done in a clear manner where competent officers were appointed, and it was time Kenyan women played a vital role in the economy through key appointments.

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