NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 2 – President Mwai Kibaki on Friday witnessed the swearing-in of 27 newly appointed Judges of the High Court at State House, Nairobi.
The colourful ceremony which was conducted by Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Gladys Boss Shollei was also witnessed by Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
President Kibaki urged the new judges to focus on executing their mandate in accordance to the laws of the country and not to be distracted by prophets of doom.
He expressed confidence that the Judges were equal to the task ahead of them and urged them to use their vast knowledge and skills to restore Kenyans’ faith in the country’s judicial system.
Noting that Kenyans accomplished a milestone by passing the new Constitution, the Head of State expressed joy that important legislation and creation of important constitutional commissions had so far been achieved in order to consolidate the implementation of the constitution.
The President congratulated the new judges on their appointment through a transparent and very competitive process and called on the Judiciary to play its rightful role in the remaining phases of the constitution implementation process.
Chief Justice Willy Mutunga underlined that with the recruitment of the new judicial staff, the cornerstone of a transformative Judiciary had been entrenched while the process of recruitment was expected to continue to lower echelons of the institution.
The Chief Justice also confirmed that vital dialogue between the three arms of the Government was taking place for the benefit of the nation which he asserted was bigger than any of the three branches.
Of the 28 appointed judges, 13 are women while 15 are men.
Also in attendance were Justice Minister Mutula Kilonzo, Lands Minister James Orengo, Head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet Amb Francis Muthaura, Chief of Defence Forces James Karangi, Attorney General Prof Githu Muigai, members of the Judicial Service Commission, senior Government officials and family members of the newly appointed judges.
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