Rawal reveals sexual abuse of women rife in Judiciary

Sexual harassment against female employees is rife at the Judiciary, Deputy Chief Justice Kalpana Rawal admitted on Thursday.

Justice Rawal revealed it had become a matter of concern mostly because the department had been a closed shop for many years and victims never had a chance to talk about certain things.

She promised to release a memo in a few days making it official for affected staff to report the cases. “We want to talk now. Let us dialogue about matters affecting us as judges and magistrates,” she said.

Justice Rawal said that as the judiciary implemented laws on sexual violence, it should not forget that the vice also affected them at their places of work.

“Our members are also faced by the same problems as other women in society,” she said

Ms Rawal spoke as women judges and magistrates launched week-long activities to interact with the public and evaluate administration of justice.

Kenya Women Judges and Magistrates Association chairperson Roselyn Nambuye complained about the frequent transfer of women judges and said it had affected the lobby’s push for a common agenda. “We have been used as firefighters. Women judges are often sent to trouble spots without notice and this has affected activities of the association,” Justice Nambuye said.

The Court of Appeal judge said an audit on the backlog of cases is being carried out and would be used to identify how they can be dispensed with.