The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has strongly condemned what it calls a growing trend of public attacks and personal vilification directed at judges, especially in response to their bail and bond rulings.
In a statement issued Thursday by JSC Secretary Winfridah Mokaya, the commission expressed deep concern over the backlash following recent court decisions made in Nanyuki and Kahawa.
In Nanyuki, 111 individuals arrested in connection with the July 7 Saba Saba protests in Laikipia County were each granted a cash bail of Ksh 50,000. They had been charged with malicious damage to property, and reports indicate some were arrested even before the protests began.
Concurrently, 37 young people who are charged with terrorism-related crimes during the July 7 and June 25 protests were released on Wednesday in Kahawa. Each of them was issued a cash bail of Ksh 50,000 or an alternative bond of Ksh 200,000.
The critics have been fanning their temper by calling for magistrates’, judges’, and prosecutors’ personal information and contacts involved in what they call trumped-up charges, to be released.
The JSC said it finds the public outcry over these judicial decisions deeply troubling and warned against undermining the independence and integrity of the courts.
Mokaya said such actions threaten judicial independence and risk eroding public trust in the justice system.
“These decisions are guided by the Constitution, the Criminal Procedure Code, and the Judiciary’s bail and bond policy guidelines,” she said.
Mokaya emphasized that judicial officers operate under the law and dared their critics to demand redress through official channels, such as appeals or formal investigations, rather than resorting to personal vendettas.
She also assured the public that the Judiciary Police Unit has put in place sufficient security measures to protect judicial officers against intimidation and harassment.
“The commission reaffirms its unwavering commitment to defending the decisional independence of all judicial officers and judges,” Mokaya said.
