I will mend relationship between Parliament, Judiciary Kitonga

Former chair of the Committee of Experts on Constitutional Review, Senior Council Nzamba Kitonga, has expressed his intentions to improve the relationship between Parliament and the Judiciary.

Speaking when he appeared before the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on Thursday for an interview for the Chief Justice position, Kitonga said that should he be appointed CJ, he would work on mending the relationship between the two institutions that have raised concerns of Constitutional infringement.

“That would be in my view one of the challenges and it would be my work as CJ to ensure members of National Assembly understand exactly what the work of the Judiciary is,” he said.

The senior lawyer, widely referred to as the ‘Father of the Constitution’ due to his immense contributions in the drafting of the new Constitution further noted that his intention is to make justice accessible in all constituencies and reduce the backlog of cases in the Judiciary.

The National Assembly has had several contretemps with the Judiciary following controversial decisions on key legislative issues.

The Senate, for instance, was up in arms after the Court of Appeal overruled its decision to impeach Embu Governor Martin Wambora.

The Senate, through the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC), in January this year filed a notice of Appeal to the Supreme Court to express their dissatisfaction with the ruling by a three-judge bench nullifying Wambora’s impeachment.

He stated that, despite having no experience as a Judge, his 36-year career as a lawyer is sufficient to help him transform the Judiciary.

So far, four candidates have appeared before the commission with Lady Justice Roselyn Nambuye and Justice Dr Smokin Wanjala having their dates on Friday and Saturday respectively as the journey to replace retired Chief Justice Dr Willy Mutunga continues.