Justice Tunoi wants to be heard in public in bribery allegations probe

Suspended Supreme Court Judge Philip Tunoi has now opted for public hearings just a day after saying he wanted the tribunal investigating his conduct over allegations of receiving Ksh 200 million from Nairobi Governor Dr. Evans Kidero to conduct the hearing in private.

According to tribunal Chair Sharad Rao, the sittings will start Thursday.

The Sharad Rao-led tribunal was formed to determine whether Justice Tunoi should continue to hold office following claims by journalist Geoffrey Kiplagat that he took a bribe of 200 million shillings from Kidero in an election petition filed by Kabete Member of Parliament Ferdinand Waititu.

Late February, President Uhuru Kenyatta suspended Tunoi and formed a six-member tribunal to further probe him.

Other members of the tribunal are: Justice Roselyn Korir, Justice (Rtd.) Jonathan Havelock, Judith Guserwa, James Kaberere Gachoka, Abdirashid Abdullahi Hussein and George Munji Wakukha.

Tunoi’s woes began after Kiplagat, a former KASS FM presenter, alleged that he had received Ksh 202 million from Nairobi Governor Dr. Evans Kidero to rule in his favour in an election petition filed by the now Kabete MP Ferdinand Waititu in an interview aired on NTV.

Waititu had moved to court to challenge IEBC’s decision to announce Kidero as Nairobi Governor after garnering 692,483 votes against Waititu’s 617,839.

The Supreme Court reaffirmed Kidero’s election in August 2014 ending a protracted court battle that had lasted for over a year.