The Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya) has warned the judiciary against engaging in dialogue with the Executive saying such talks could inhibit judicial independence.

In a statement issued Saturday, ICJ Kenya Chairperson Protas Saende stated that the Judiciary must maintain its independence, especially on issues touching on the administration of justice.

He urged the Judiciary to shun participation in discussions that risk compromising its autonomy in delivering justice.

Saende said sufficient mechanisms exist in the Constitution which empowers the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to handle complaints against the judicial officers.

“Any concerns or complaints from the Executive should be duly registered with the JSC rather than aired in public rallies, casting aspersions on the Judiciary as a whole,” he said.

The lobby stated that recent claims by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua against Justice Esther Maina, followed by a retraction without presenting evidence, raise concerns about the Executive’s intentions.

ICJ noted that the damage caused to the judge’s reputation as a result of the Gachagua’s attacks is significant and shows a lack of commitment to a fair and unbiased discourse.

“Considering the above, we are adamant that the invitation by the Executive may not be in good faith,” the ICJ Chairperson said.

Dropped petition

Gachagua Thursday announced that he had dropped his planned petition against Justice Maina ‘for now’ after making corruption claims against her.

“The Deputy President notes the current national discourse on judicial transparency and application of Article 10 of the Constitution of Kenya on the conduct of Judges and other Judicial Officers,” Njeri Rugene, his press aide, stated.

“In this regard, the Deputy President will not proceed with the matter of the petition, for now,” Rugene announced.

Gachagua’s change of tact came even as the Chief Justice indicated that she had reached out for audience with President Ruto to establish his concerns.

Koome said the Judiciary would invite Ruto to share any confidential information he holds on any judge involved in corruption even as she emphasised the need for aggrieved parties to engage through formal channels under the JSC.

Ruto launched an aggressive campaign against a section of judges in the aftermath of the November 28, 2023, Constitutional Court decision that declared the Housing Levy unconstitutional. By Felix Okara, Capital News

A fire incident has ravaged 19 shops containing 1,900 bags of assorted grains in Gombi, headquarters of Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

The incident occurred at a major grain market in the town, which lies in the northern part of the state.

The Secretary of Gombi Market Union, Mallam Umar Nyalli, said Saturday that the fire which spread to cause havoc was ignited by an unknown smoker who threw a burning stick of cigarette at a heap of waste materials close to the shops. 

Nyalli said the businesses of owners of the affected shops had now been paralysed.

“We lost bags of maize, groundnuts, guinea corn, sesame seeds, beans and tamarin fruits to the inferno,” Nyali said, calling on the government at all levels to intervene.

The state Deputy Governor, Professor Kaletapwa George Farauta, has commiserated with the traders whose goods were destroyed.

During a visit to the place Saturday afternoon, she described the incident as a collosal loss to the shop owners and great damage to the entire state in terms of revenue drive.

DAILY POST reports that the fire incident in Gombi comes only about two weeks after a wildfire outside the premises of the Federal College of Education in the state capital, Yola.

The Yola incident destroyed 10 shops.  Jim Ochetenwu, Daily Post

Kampala, January 20, 2024 (LANA) - The Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, affirmed that only the Sudanese are capable of stopping the fighting, stressing the need for the international community to unite its efforts to support them in order to achieve this noble goal.

   Lamamra called on the leaders of the conflicting parties to take immediate action and strong steps to end this suffering, through the diligent implementation of the cessation of hostilities agreement, which could lead to lasting peace in the country.

   “Many Sudanese have confirmed their desire to hand over power to a civilian government that will rule the country during a temporary transitional period pending elections,” Lamamra said during a speech he delivered at the extraordinary IGAD summit in Uganda regarding Sudan, explaining that he visited the region last week and met with many Sudanese who expressed the need to end the fighting, including the warring parties themselves. =Lana=