In his keynote address at the launch of the 3rd EACC Workshop for Media Practitioners, Chief Justice (Emeritus) David Maraga discussed the problem of corruption in Kenya and recommended key reform measures.
The former Chief Justice acknowledged the efforts of the Kenyan Judiciary in the fight against corruption and emphasized the need for appropriate mechanisms to arrest the emerging culture of judicial forum shopping where suspects charged with corruption offences are increasingly abandoning the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Division of the High Court in Nairobi to travel far and wide in pursuit of conservatory orders in preferred stations, seeking to stop investigations, arrest or prosecution.
This, the former CJ cautioned, may be construed by the public as designed to defeat justice, even where there is nothing untoward.
Commenting on the issue, CEO Twalib Mbarak likened the emerging trend of judicial forum shopping to a situation where a student pursuing secondary education in Kilifi County registers for the final exam in Lodwar, which would raise serious questions.
The 14th Chief Justice of Kenya urged EACC to promptly engage the Judiciary towards ensuring that all Applications arising from corruption charges are henceforth filed at the Nairobi High Court Division on Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes, which was established for that purpose.
Relatedly, CJ Maraga called for referral of all corruption related Applications currently pending before various High Court stations across the country to the specialized High Court Division to bolster realization of the objectives for which the Division was established.
