Lawyers nationwide to boycott courts over orders halting JSC probes of judges
Key points
- Lawyers say they will boycott courts over orders stopping JSC probes of judges.
- The dispute pits judicial independence against peer accountability mechanisms.
- Prolonged boycotts risk delaying ordinary litigants already stuck in case backlogs.
When lawyers walk out of courtrooms, the public pays in delayed justice. Capital FM reports that advocates nationwide plan to boycott courts over mounting concern about orders that halt Judicial Service Commission probes of judges.
The JSC is the constitutional body meant to discipline and recommend removal of judges. If interim orders freeze every sensitive probe, the public can read it as a shield. If probes become tools of political capture, judges can read it as a threat. Kenyans need both independence and clean benches.
What a responsible path looks like
Transparent timelines for applications, published reasons for interim stays, and expedited full hearings so neither side can use delay as victory. The Law Society should protect due process without turning every dispute into indefinite industrial action.
Ordinary Kenyans with land cases, custody battles and commercial claims did not choose this fight. Courts and advocates share a duty to keep registries open for them.
Democracy test
Strong institutions survive scrutiny. Weak ones hide behind temporary orders.
Legal contacts: directory.
Based on Capital FM reporting of the planned lawyer boycott and JSC probe orders.