Top magistrates fight for Judicial Service Commission slot
Ms Emily Ominde appears before a parliamentary committee in 2014. Judges and magistrates have locked horns over top positions in the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association, ahead of elections to choose a new representative to the Judicial Service Commission. FILE PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE |
What you need to know:
- Judges, magistrates prepare to elect their representatives in October.
- At least four have expressed intentions to challenge incumbent Emily Ominde in the judicial commission.
Top magistrates have stepped up their campaigns to join the Judicial Service Commission as over 500 judicial officers prepare to go to the polls.
The Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA) has called an annual general meeting to elect its officials and a representative to the Judicial Service Commission.
Campaigns by magistrates seeking to join the commission have intensified, with four joining the race against the incumbent, Ms Emily Ominde.
Ms Ominde, who is the Makadara chief magistrate, is completing her first term but intends to defend her seat in the elections slated for October 31.
Kiambu Principal Magistrate Julie Oseko and Nakuru Chief Magistrate Doreen Mulekyo are among the big names who have joined the race.
Others are Nanyuki Chief Magistrate Teresia Mutheka and Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court Hellen Akwani.
WELFARE
Ms Ominde has defended her achievement in the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), saying she worked hard in her first term to ensure magistrates’ welfare improved, saying they now have a better medical cover, a good car loan and a mortgage.
“We are pushing to have even a better salary going forward,” she said, adding; “I feel I have made achievements under the first term and I want to do even better in the second term.”
And Dr Oseko said she plans to launch a 10-point campaign agenda for the JSC slot, which she said would focus on magistrates’ welfare and career progression.
“The magistrates deserve a leader who is accessible, accountable and approachable; that humble servant who genuinely respects their views, consults with them and cherishes working with them as a team; one who genuinely cares for their welfare, career progression and overall well-being,” Dr Oseko said.
Other KMJA positions will be filled in the October elections, according to the association’s secretary-general, Mr Bryan Khaemba.
He said the organisation also takes credit for having taken on the vetting board, leading to the reinstatement of some of its members who had been sacked.
The KMJA boss said he would be seeking a second term, while Mr Tom Okundo, the resident magistrate in Eldoret, is the only candidate for the position of president so far.
Mr Derrick Kuto intends to defend his position in the association that largely serves as the defender of judges’ and magistrates’ welfare.
