Majiwa, during her interview with the Judicial Service Commission on Wednesday said she will better make a wrong decision than compromise her independence and that of the Judiciary/COURTESY
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 28 – Lawyer Joyce Majiwa says she will be independent and objective in making her decisions if appointed the next Deputy Chief Justice.
She said she will ensure all Kenyans access Justice, including the down trodden.
Majiwa, during her interview with the Judicial Service Commission on Wednesday said she will better make a wrong decision than compromise her independence and that of the Judiciary.
“I am a very independent minded person…I think for myself and I say if I am going to be wrong, so be it,” they were the firm words of Majiwa to the commission.
“But I believe in the Supreme Court…there would be six to five Judges to compliment me, if I am wrong, we will bring our heads together. I will also guard the independence of the Judiciary.”
In her career, Majiwa said she is guided by the need to be just saying, “Justice is what drives me since I became a lawyer.”
The commission also tasked her to explain how she intends to carry out her role as a Deputy Chief Justice, a position that has seen her predecessors vacate office in controversial circumstances.
If appointed, Majiwa said she will be cautious while executing her mandate, but insist that there should be same standards applied for all judicial officers, without biasness on gender or any other freaky grounds.
The first former Deputy Chief Justice under the new Constitution, Nancy Barasa resigned from office after she was accused of pinching a guard’s nose at the Village Market in Nairobi, on New Year’s Eve, in addition to threatening her with a gun after the guard attempted to frisk her.
Judge Kalpana Rawal left the office on age grounds though she contested the move.
But Majiwa said she was specifically concerned about Barasa’s case which she said had “gender issues” on it.
“It was very unfortunate and it should not have ever arisen… one of the things I want to do when I come to Judiciary is to sensitize them on gender issues. I want a Judiciary that is sensitive to gender issues,” she said.
To advance the course of Justice, Majiwa said, if appointed as Deputy CJ, “people will come out of the court saying they have had justice. The jurisprudence that will come out of my judgment should be able to demonstrate Justice. That is access to justice from my judgments.”
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