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My faith would supersede presidential petition, aspiring CJ declares

The Appellate Court Judge identified graft, a case backlog and a resource deficiency as the three biggest problems the Judiciary in his opinion faces.

If appointed Chief Justice, Maraga said, he would expand the office of the Judiciary ombudsman into a secretariat chaired by a senior judge given the magistrate who currently occupies the office is constrained from questioning his superiors.

He said he would also open a pathway for communication with those with complaints to make; an email, “hotline.”

The backlog question, he said, could be addressed by the automation of court proceedings, “so we don’t have to keep stopping witnesses or telling them to slow down because we’re recording their testimony by hand.”

The hiring of more judges and magistrates, he said, would also remedy the backlog challenge but didn’t venture to say from whence he foresees the money coming given his own acknowledgement of fund constraints within the Judiciary.

Another concern he raised was on the shortage of borstal institution forcing children to be locked in with hardened criminals.

And as with the two judges that came before him, Maraga was also tasked with making known his stand on the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction where election petitions are concerned.

His response was that nothing stopped the Supreme Court from reconsidering its decisions where necessary and pledged to unite the fissured bench if appointed its President.

READ: CJ, Supreme Judges lock horns over judges retirement

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As High Court judge Mbogholi Msagha had before him, Maraga described himself as humble. Unlike Msagha however, he went out of his way to make clear that, at least in his case, it wasn’t a weakness.

“Those I look up to have shown me that you don’t need to shout to make a profound point.”

READ: Self-effacing judge regrets Moi decision

Judge Warsame was at the #DevolutionChallenge again and the, “most simple,” question Maraga was tasked with was to name three female senators, all of whom are nominated.

“I know of Sijeny (Judith)… there’s another lady is it from the Coast but I can’t remember the name.”

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