All eyes on Maraga as petition against Uhuru win set to start
Chief Justice David Maraga during an appeal by Prof Ayiecho Olweny at the Supreme Court, Nairobi on August 6, 2017. All eyes will be on him as petition against Uhuru win set to start. PHOTO | ROBERT NGUGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
As the President of the Supreme Court, Justice Maraga will preside over the hearing of the presidential petition.
He is described by fellow judges as a humble and a hard working judge.
Before his elevation to the Supreme Court, Justice Maraga was the presiding judge of the Court of Appeal in Kisumu.
As National Super Alliance argues for the nullification of President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election on August 8, all eyes will be on Chief Justice David Maraga.
As the President of the Supreme Court, Justice Maraga will preside over the hearing of the presidential petition.
He is described by fellow judges as a humble and a hard working judge.
His predecessor, Dr Willy Mutunga, said soon after Mr Maraga’s appointment that in him, the Judicial Service Commission had found a judge of great integrity, focus and energy.
EMERGE TOP
The former CJ hailed the process, saying it was open and competitive.
Mr Maraga beat 12 other contestants to emerge top in the race to succeed Dr Mutunga. He scored 84 marks.
Before his elevation to the Supreme Court, Justice Maraga was the presiding judge of the Court of Appeal in Kisumu.
The 65-year-old father of three also served as a judge of the High Court in Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Nairobi.
HAUNT
Before joining the bench, Mr Maraga practiced as an advocate in Nakuru.
His stint as a judge in Nakuru came to haunt him during the vetting process as he was accused of favouring one community.
The Sharad Rao-led vetting board, however, dismissed the allegations, saying they were baseless.
The accusation had to do with the murder trial of a former Eldoret traffic policeman Andrew Moache who had been charged with double murder of Ainamoi MP David Kimutai Too and his companion, Eunice Chepkwony.
SENTENCED
Mr Maraga found the officer guilty of manslaughter and sentenced him to 10 years in prison, sparking protests.
The two were shot dead at West Indies estate in Eldoret on January 31, 2008.
Just a day before his nomination, Justice Maraga had handed a report on a fellow judge whom he investigated over corruption to President Kenyatta.
The tribunal he chaired found judge Joseph Mutava culpable of misconduct and recommended to the president for his removal.
ELECTION PREPAREDNESS
He also chaired the Judiciary’s committee on election preparedness.
The committee was tasked with finding pitfalls from previous election petition hearings and it made wide recommendations on how to hear the petitions efficiently.
Recently, Mr Maraga moved to assert the independence of Judiciary, after constant attacks from both Jubilee and Nasa.
He told off Jubilee leaders over the handling of cases brought against IEBC.
The CJ said it was not his wish to respond to politicians, however, when the political leaders cast aspersions on the administration of justice based on a misinterpretation of his statements, it concerns him “a great deal”.
