Lawyers pledge to push out CJ

• They say they will petition President again to initiate probe

Lawyers on Saturday resolved to continue pushing for the removal of Chief Justice Evan Gicheru.

At a stormy annual general meeting held at a Nairobi hotel, the Law Society of Kenya decided to petition President Kibaki for a second time to form a tribunal to investigate the Chief Justice.

LSK chairman Okong’o Omogeni told the Sunday Nation that they had also resolved to push for an amendment in the Constitution to expand the Judicial Service Commission membership to include more lawyers.

Review criteria

They supported calls by Justice minister Martha Karua and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to review the criteria of the appointment of judges.

But some lawyers accused the society’s leadership of “witch-hunt and revenge.”

Senior Counsel Gibson Kamau Kuria stormed out of the meeting after the chairman refused to give him a chance to contribute to the no-confidence debate on the CJ.

An irritated Kuria – a one-time LSK chairman – accused Mr Omogeni of being “used to further political interests of the PM and the Justice minister.”

"It is undemocratic for the chair to use the LSK to rubber-stamp the ideas of presidential candidates ... Why is he abusing the powers of the LSK to fulfil political goals?” he asked.

But Mr Omogeni said it was wrong for Mr Kuria to attack him for doing his work.

LSK council member Evans Monari termed Mr Kuria’s sentiments “partisan and tribalist”.

“If he wants to protect the CJ as a personal friend, let him do so in another forum,” he said.

Mr Kuria said: “The laws would have to change before we change the person.” He said he was ready to fight “all those who want to place the legal system in jeopardy.”

Lawyer Kibe Mungai was also opposed to the removal of the Chief Justice without a reformed Judiciary.