Justice Said Chitembwe has dismissed compromising videos that appeared on social media apparently showing him discussing a land case in his sitting room
Chitembwe claimed that Mike Sonko released the videos after he dismissed a petition to stop Ann Kananu being sworn in as Nairobi Governor. He said that the videos had been edited to reflect badly on him.
However questions still remain. It is not normal for judges to meet plaintiffs in their homes. And it should not be forgotten that he was arrested in July with $7,000 that he said was for his son's school fees in Australia.
Now the Law Society of Kenya has demanded that the Judicial Service Commission investigate Chitembwe within 14 days or lawyers will boycott his chambers.
It is vital that the public have confidence in the integrity of the Judiciary. Every few years, when there are promotions, the JSC conducts a popular public vetting exercise to weed out rotten apples.
That vetting process needs to happen more regularly so that judges and magistrates remember that they are constantly monitored by both lawyers and the public. Then the judicial system might run more smoothly and fairly.
Quote of the day: "Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
Abraham Lincoln
The US President delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863
