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{
    "id": 204988,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/204988/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 220,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Muite",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 235,
        "legal_name": "Paul Kibugi Muite",
        "slug": "paul-muite"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Sir, you will notice from the Report that the Departmental Committee on Administration of Justice and Legal Affairs laid on the Table of the House on 17th July, 2007 that we proposed amendments to the Judicature Act to increase the number of the Judges of the High Court to 75, and that of the Court of Appeal to 15. The Attorney- General himself had proposed that the number of the High Court Judges be stepped up from 50 to 70, and that of the Court of Appeal, from 11 to 14. When the Bill was committed to the Committee, we invited views as to the criteria. We asked for information; on what basis would the Committee have agreed to the proposal to increase the number of High Court Judges to 70, and not to 60 or to 80? We received information, including statistics, on the ratio of judges to members of the public, and the Committee, instead of recommending to increase the number of High Court Judges to be 70, recommended 75. For the Court of Appeal, we recommended to increase the number to 15 Judges, instead of the 14 Judges recommended by the Attorney-General. However, there was a very fundamental proviso, which was that the Judicial Service Commission, pursuant to its powers under Sections 61 and 62 of the Constitution, would consult widely, including consulting the Council of the Law Society of Kenya, and that their advice to the President would take into account professional competence of the regional diversity of the Kenyan people and they get high equity. In the view of the Committee, this is absolutely fundamental. Why? This is because memories are still fresh on the recent debacle relating to the failure to swear three judges after they had gone to State House."
}