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{
    "id": 647792,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/647792/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 265,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Nuh",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2840,
        "legal_name": "Junet Sheikh Nuh",
        "slug": "junet-sheikh-nuh"
    },
    "content": "Truth should be said that the Judiciary has devolved and gone to different parts of the country. In my country in Migori, there is now a High Court and there is a resident judge that operates from there. That is a milestone. Initially, people used to travel to Kisii and other major towns like Kisumu to get High Court services. However, now the Judiciary has brought a High Court in almost every county. That is a very good thing they have done. However, Kenyans are still grappling with the issue of corruption and judgements for sale. I do not think it is the amount of money that is given to the Judiciary that will make it independent. It is the way the judges and the staff of the Judiciary handle themselves. That is because even when their budget was increased to almost Kshs20 billion, the issue of favours being done in rulings and judgements is still going on up to today. That tells you clearly that it is not how much money you allocate to the Judiciary that will make it independent. It is other things that are really disturbing the Judiciary. It is high time the JSC came up with mechanisms to tame those kinds of practises. It is shocking to see judges appearing before the JSC for disciplinary cases. There are disciplinary cases that are ongoing. It is disturbing to see judges who have attained, as my colleague has put it, their 70th birthday and still want to serve the country. When we were doing the approval of Justice Rawal as the Deputy Chief Justice, the issue of her age came up and this House said her age might give problems going forward. Nobody listened to that. Now the problem has come up. She is being told she is 70 years old and should retire. She still has a case in court arguing that she should retire at 74. There is no difference between a judge extending his retirement age from 70 to 74 and the President changing his tenure in office from two to three terms - like what happens in some African countries. It is the same thing these judges are trying to do. They want to change their retirement age from 70 to 74 years. What stops the President from saying: “I have gone for two terms, let me change the law and serve another term? That is how I see it. It is immoral and unacceptable. With those few remarks, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I support the Bill."
}