Supreme Court back to business, CJ Maraga says

The Supreme Court will start hearing cases on a priority basis from November 14, Chief Justice David Maraga has said.

The top court now has — for the first time in four months — a full quorum, seven judges.

Justice Maraga said that the court will hear high priority cases continuously until December 15.

“We are aware of the pending cases and the wait by Kenyans. We have scheduled the first high priority cases from November 14 to December 15 to clear those pending matters as soon as possible,” Justice Maraga said after he chaired a Supreme Court meeting for the first time since he took office from Dr Willy Mutunga.

However, before the November session, the CJ said the top court will go on a retreat to list down those cases they should give priority and how fast they should be heard.

“This is to tell Kenyans that we are now fully operational,” he told journalists at the Supreme Court accompanied by the six other judges of the court.

The court had not sat since June when former Chief Justice, Willy Mutunga retired, and the same court entered a judgment that saw the exit of DCJ Kalpana Rawal and Supreme Court judge Philip Tunoi.

The law requires the court to have at least five judges for it to sit and make determinations.

Since the retirement of the three members, the court had only four judges: Justices Mohamed Ibrahim, Dr Smokin Wanjala, Prof Jackton Ojwang’ and Lady Justice Njoki Ndung’u.

But following the swearing in of CJ Maraga, Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu, and Supreme Court Judge Isaac Lenaola, the top court is now fully constituted.