Ahmednasir claims Judges want damning Judiciary report blocked

Wait 5 sec.

NAIROBI, Kenya July 2 – Constitutional lawyer and Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi has claimed that some judges are planning to go to court to stop the release of what he describes as a damaging report on the performance of the Judiciary.In a post on X, Ahmednasir alleged that the report, which he says was expected to be released by Chief Justice Martha Koome by July 1, paints a worrying picture of low judicial productivity, growing case backlogs and weak leadership across the courts.According to Ahmednasir, the Chief Justice had promised Kenyans that the Judiciary would publish comprehensive data showing, judge by judge, the number of judgments and rulings delivered by judges and magistrates across the country. The aim, he said, was to help identify the causes of the persistent backlog of cases.However, the lawyer claimed that information he received from “very reliable multiple sources” indicates that the findings are “bad, damaging and damning.”“The Hon CJ Martha Koome promised Kenyans that by 1st July she will release a comprehensive judge by judge data on the judgments/rulings delivered by judges and magistrates throughout Kenya with a view to understand and address the cause of case backlog,” Ahmednasir wrote.Ahmednasir claimed the report shows judges in the High Court, Environment and Land Court, Employment and Labour Relations Court, and the Court of Appeal are delivering far fewer judgments than expected.He alleged that many judges have achieved less than 15 percent of their projected annual targets.“It shows judges of the High Court, Environment and Land Court, Employment and Labour Court and the Court of Appeal delivering less than 15% of the projected targets and are literally on a go-slow.”He further claimed that some judges delivered fewer than 10 judgments over an entire year.“For instance, some judges for a whole year have delivered less than 10 judgments.”Ahmednasir argued that the alleged findings point to poor leadership within the Judiciary and worsening delays in the administration of justice.“The report shows lack of leadership at all levels and expressly states that the justice system in Kenya has totally collapsed under the weight of backlog, judicial lethargy and poor leadership.”The senior counsel further alleged that some judges are seeking to stop the report from becoming public.According to Ahmednasir, unnamed judges have allegedly hired proxies to file court cases next week in an attempt to block the report’s release.“With a view to stop the release of the report to the public, a number of judges have hired proxies to go to court next week and stop its release.”The claims have not been independently verified, and the Judiciary had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of publication.