Koome moves 4 judges in reshuffle at Judiciary
Chief Justice Martha Koome yesterday reshuffled four judges across the country.
The transfers affected the High Court, Constitutional and Human Rights Division, Criminal Division as well as Family Division courts.
Among the high-profile judges affected by the transfers is Justice Anthony Mrima who moves to the High Court in Kitale from the Constitutional and Human Rights Division at Milimani Law Courts Nairobi.
He has been promoted to the position of the Presiding Judge in Kitale Law Courts from August 1, 2022.
Mrima’s transfer follows the appointment of Justice Luka Kimaru to the Court of Appeal.
On transfer
One of the most recent cases Justice Mrima has handled involved the just concluded recruitment and appointments of seven judges of the Court of Appeal and a case challenging the CJ’s decision to gag lawyers from commenting on presidential petition at the Supreme Court.
He also sentenced the Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI) George Kinoti to four months in prison for failing to honour court rulings.
Justice Mrima also quashed President Uhuru Kenyatta’s appointment of Cabinet Administrative Secretaries (CAS) terming it unconstitutional.
Before he moved to Nairobi, he delivered a record 70 judgments in a span of 23 days during the pandemic.
“Take Notice that Justice Antony Mrima will not be sitting from July 22, 2022, as he is on transfer.
Matters scheduled before him will now be mentioned before the Deputy Registrar for allocation of new dates. Judgment and rulings will be delivered on notice,” states a notice issued by the constitutional court and seen by People Daily.
Also transferred was Lady Justice Grace Nzioka who becomes the Presiding Judge in Naivasha from September 15, 2022.
She has been serving in the Criminal Division of the High Court yielding exceptional case management strategies.
In her tenure at the criminal division, the judge recused herself from a case she was handling involving former Cabinet Secretary Raphael Tuju challenging the London Court to recover Sh1.5 billion in loans.
Family division
She is also the trial Judge in the murder case facing former TV anchor Jacqueline Maribe and her co-accused Joseph Irungu alias Jowie. Also transferred is Lady Justice Mugure Thande, who has moved from the Family Division to the Constitutional and Human Rights Division effective August 1, 2022.
Justice Mugure has previously handled major cases with the most notable, being that where relatives and family members or close relatives were ordered to stop distribution of the late Tob Cohen’s estate.
Justice Kanyi Kimondo was moved from Murang’a and will now assume the position of the presiding judge in the Criminal Division starting September, 15, 2022.
The Judge has also made notable judgments among them convicting Grace Njeri to four years in jail for killing her son after pleading guilty of manslaughter.
The 40 year old mother beat her nine year old to death for eating food meant for his siblings.
