The Judicial Service Commission has denied it was influenced politically when appointing Chief Justice David Maraga.
In a statement to newsrooms, the JSC said President Uhuru Kenyatta’s remark that his administration gave Maraga a job is “unfortunate, erroneous and substantially misleading to the public”.
“Any implication, deliberate or inadvertent, that the appointment of the CJ was part of a political scheme is a grave distortion of law and fact,” the JSC said
The Head of State, while appealing to Kisii voters last month, said his government appointed one of their own (meaning Justice Maraga) as head of the Judiciary.
Yesterday, under Maraga’s chairmanship, the JSC said the Judiciary, in exercise of its authority, is only subject to the Constitution and the law, not to any person or authority.
The commission said Uhuru’s remarks had been misconstrued to imply a political hand in the appointment of the CJ.
The JSC defended its work, saying it conducted a transparent, accountable and competitive process, as laid down in the Constitution, to pick the best candidate for CJ.