A panel of three judges, Charles Kariuki, Lawrence Mugambi, and Bahati Mwamuye, has been chosen to hear petitions challenging the removal of Chief Justice Martha Koome and other Supreme Court judges from office.
The panel was formed after the High Court found that the case raised legal questions that needed to be handled by more than one judge.
Chief Justice Koome, together with Justices Njoki Ndung’u, Isaac Lenaola, William Ouko, and Smokin Wanjala, had filed a case against how the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) was managing the removal process.
The High Court has also stopped the JSC from continuing with the removal process until the case is heard and decided.
Lawyer Nelson Havi, speaking for the other side, argued that Chief Justice Koome should not have had a role in forming a bench to hear a case in which she is personally involved. He said this would create a conflict of interest and could affect the fairness of the process.
