CJ Maraga: I miss my private life

Chief Justice David Maraga says his life took a different turn when he was appointed to head the Judiciary arm of government in September 2016.

In an interview with the Daily Nation, Justice Maraga discloses that while he has become used to the demands of the position he holds, he misses his private life which somehow became the biggest casualty of his job.

“I miss my private life. Before I was appointed CJ, I would attend public functions unnoticed and enjoy listening to people – the way they interact. That has of course completely changed,” says Maraga.

“I now have limited private life. I am not saying I have to hide from anything. In any case I don’t want to hide anything in my life. But I have accepted that as the nature of the public office the Kenyans have privileged me to occupy,” he adds.

The Chief Justice says that when he is not on duty, he takes time out to relax by either praying or meeting friends.

When he meets his friends, however, there is always a condition: They should not engage him in matters already in court.

“I pray, I meet friends and we talk as long as they do not engage me on any matters in court and I love that. But some of my friends have been missing. They need to come and say ‘Look, we know you have got challenging decisions but we wish you the best’. Of course I also play some games which are good for my health,” says Maraga.

Maraga, whose job has earned him love and hate in almost equal measure, says the desire to make a difference in service delivery to Kenyans is what has kept him going in the face of the challenges that come with his job.

A staunch Seventh Day Adventist, Justice Maraga notes that during last year’s electioneering period divine strength is what made him overcome the verbal attacks launched at him and which weighed heaviest on his family.

“Those attacks were unfair and unfortunate as they endangered the lives of judges and other staff. The attacks affected me and my family. But I took them in my stride as the utterances were made in the heat of the moment and I urged my family to view them in the same manner,” said Maraga. “The Lord gave me peace of mind that surpasses all understanding and I successfully soldiered on to the end.”

Nonetheless, he maintains that political pressure did not in anyway influence the verdicts issued by the Supreme Court in the 2017 presidential election petitions.

“There was no political pressure at all. If you take time and read through the decisions of the two petitions, you will see why we decided each the way we decided,” he says.