CJ Martha Koome
Chief Justice Martha Koome’s security detail has been reinstated by the government just a day after it was scaled down.
In a statement Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA) President Justice Stephen Radido confirmed that the officers attached to the Chief Justice have been re-attached.
Radido condemned the initial move by the National Police Service (NPS) to scale down Koome’s security saying the Inspector General of Police should have followed due process and even informed the CJ earlier.
“Unknown to the Judiciary and its leadership, the National Police Service was in the process of recalling the security detail/close escort(s) attached to the Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya.
“The detail/close escort(s) were eventually recalled under the guise that it was their turn to undergo promotional training (we are aware that the detail/close escorts deployed to the Honourable Chief Justice have been reinstated after a formal complaint was made to various high-level officers),” read the statement in part.
CJ Koome in a letter addressed to CS Murkomen and IG Douglas Kanja on Thursday said the decision is not only an insult to the Judiciary’s independence but also poses a threat to the safety of judicial officers across the country.
Koome emphasized that the security of her office was not a personal privilege, but a structural necessity to ensure that the judiciary could function autonomously and without fear.
However, CS Murkomen called out Koome saying the withdrawal of some of the CJ’s security detail was a small matter.
Explaining the changes in Koome’s security, Murkomen said three officers had been withdrawn for promotion.
“I know the manual says that she is entitled to six police officers as her bodyguards, but our CJ is one of the most-guarded public officers with 32 security personnel assigned to her. Even with three officers proceeding for training, she will remain with 29 at her service,” Murkomen stated.
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