Kenya Insights

Tag: Martha Koome

  • Ahmednasir Reveals The Traitors Uhuru Was Referring To In A Cryptic Message

    Ahmednasir Reveals The Traitors Uhuru Was Referring To In A Cryptic Message

    Lawyer Ahmednasir Abdulahi has made a cryptic post about the possible persons whom the former president Uhuru Kenyatta had labeled as traitors recently.

    Ruling out politicians, the lawyer cleverly posted a photo of Chief Justice Martha Koome as a coded message for ‘notorious four’ to mean members of the Supreme Court.

    Screenshot of Ahmednasir’s cryptic tweet.

    “Last week, when President Uhuru called out “Traitors who will not benefit from their trade,” many Kenyans wrongly thought he was referring to politicians. That is why Hon. Murathe quickly issued a clarification. Those who know what happened in September 2022 will tell you that Uhuru’s ire was probably directed at 4 notorious members of one arm of government.” His caption read.

    The Four Supreme Court Judges

    Ahmednasir has been at war with Kenya’s apex court for corruption claims that led to him being banned from appearing before its judges. This was after a sustained campaign over years by the lawyer who painted the court as graft ridden.

    In the suit before the East African Court of Justice, the lawyer has sued Kenyan government seeking to quash a Supreme Court ban against him, and demanding damages of Sh200 million for alleged violation of his right to fair administrative action, Ahmednasir claim four Supreme Court judges were paid to represent vertigo the presidency of Ruto.

    How Supreme Court judges were bribed

    Perhaps the most interesting part of the petition is the lawyer without mentioning the names, gives a blow by blow encounter on how judges were supposedly bribe to influence the 2022 presidential petition judgement.

    Under particulars of incompetence corruption and incompetence by Supreme Court judges, Mr Abdulahi claims that four out of the seven judges were paid between $1.5-2 million (Sh200-266 million) each to overturn the election of William Ruto that had been challenged by Raila Odinga but were however unable to deliver, “4 out of the 7 members of the full bench of the Supreme Court that heard the presidential poll petition by Raila Odinga challenging the results of the August 9, 2022 presidential elections which pitted William Ruto against members of Kenya’s two elite and most powerful political families, accepted bribes of between US$ 1.5 to 2 million each but were unable to influence the outcome of the verdict rendered on 5th September 2022 by which the Supreme Court unanimously upheld William Ruto’s win.” he says in the court document seen by Kenya Insights.

    He goes further to explain how each of the judges were bribed and how the cash was delivered, “Judge A accepted a bribe that was delivered at Judge A’s home in Nairobi by a very powerful politician; Judge B accepted bribes from 3 individuals, the son of a deceased leader, a retired governor and an influential businesswoman; Judge C took a bribe from a member of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) who subsequently left employment of the said service; Judge D accepted a bribe from a member of Parliament. Initially Judge D wanted the bribe to be given to his wife but later changed his mind.” Ahmednasir claimed in the suit.

    Uhuru’s claim of traitors

    While speaking during the Episcopal Ordination of the auxiliary Bishops-elect Simon Peter Kamomoe and Wallace Ng’ang’a Gachihi at St Mary’s Msongari Grounds in Nairobi on Saturday, Mr Kenyatta launched a scathing attack on unnamed individuals, calling them traitors.

    The former head of State, not mincing his words, took on some political leaders whom he termed traitors, lamenting how the political field in Kenya is full of betrayal.

    The fourth president lashed out at the unnamed individuals, warning they would not go far with their betrayal.

    “The nuncio has talked about betrayers in the church but I want to say that I don’t see a lot of betrayals in the church. Betrayal is on the other side (as he pointed to the side occupied by political leaders),” said Mr Kenyatta.

    “To the traitors, I want to tell them that even Judas (Iscariot) betrayed Jesus but he later left the pieces of silver and hanged himself. Everything will all come to an end,” he added.

    National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, Chief Justice Martha Koome, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, Cabinet Secretaries Moses Kuria and Susan Nakhumicha, former CS Monica Juma and a host of Kenya Kwanza and Azimio politicians, including Sifuna, Beatrice Elachi, and Tim Wanyonyi attended the event.

    David Murathe rebuttal

    In a quick rejoinder on Tuesday, Jubilee Party vice chairperson David Murathe clarified that former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s traitor jibe targeted his ex-allies who abandoned him to work with his political friend-turned-rival, President William Ruto.

    Murathe said Mr Kenyatta was targeting people he helped build their political careers only for them to betray him in his hour of need.

    Mr Murathe singled out Public Service CS Kuria, CJ Koome, President Ruto’s National Security Advisor Ms Juma, Speaker Wetang’ula and Governor Sakaja as having rattled Mr Kenyatta, who was in pain over their betrayal despite his immense support in building their careers.

    “Each of these people have a story to tell on how they made it and the support they received. He (Uhuru) went out of his way to build their careers, yet they turned their backs at the slightest opportunity. These are the political traitors he was talking about,” said Mr Murathe.

    On Sakaja, he said it was Kenyatta, who appointed him as the chairman of the defunct The National Alliance (TNA), giving him a platform to launch his political career where he would make his debut in the political scene as nominated MP.

    Similarly, he argued that Mr Kuria benefited from Mr Kenyatta’s support to become Gatundu South MP in the 11th Parliament.

    Mr Kuria’s political journey started when he joined former President Mwai Kibaki’s team through Mr Kenyatta’s Kanu Party.

    Mr Kuria was elected unopposed as the new lawmaker in 2014 on the TNA party following the death of the then Gatundu South MP Jossy Ngugi.

    Mr Murathe said the ex-president was taken aback by how fast former CS Juma shifted allegiance by joining the Ruto camp, “betraying his trust in the process.”

    Without going into details, he said the others have also not been any better, adding that they know what Mr Kenyatta did to each of them but still decided to go against him.

  • Lawyer Ahmednasir To Contest Supreme Court Ban At East African Court

    Lawyer Ahmednasir To Contest Supreme Court Ban At East African Court

    Lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi says he will be moving to the East African Court of Justice to challenge the decision by the Supreme Court to ban him and his firm from appearing from it.

    Ahmednasir on his X account further insisted that the Judiciary headed by Chief Justice Martha Koome is corrupt.

    “I have instructed my lawyers to file a petition in the East African Court of Justice at Arusha to seek legal redress against KOOME’s judicial skulduggery and niggling shenanigans. I will not waste time in going to KOOME’s CORRUPT COURT!” he stated.

    The ban signed by the Registrar of the Supreme Court accuses Ahmednasir of conducting a campaign on print, electronic and social media while scandalising the court.

    Abdullahi has recieved support from colleagues in the legal profession including James Orengo who says the ban by the Supreme Court is arbitrary.

    Law Society of Kenya President Eric Theuri described the ban ias ‘illegal, irregular and paints the Court as a purveyor of injustice.

    Advocate’s lobby group now wants the Apex Court to retract Ahmednasir’s expulsion and offer an apology to the advocate.

    The ban issued on Thursday and signed by the Registrar of the Supreme Court L. Wachira was issued by the full bench of the apex court.

    The judges said the ban also applies to associates in his law firm.

    “In view of the foregoing, it is the decision of this Court, that henceforth and from the date of this Communication, you shall have no audience before the Court, either by yourself, through an employee of your law firm, or any other person holding brief for you, or acting pursuant to your instructions. Much as this decision is bound to affect those who may have instructed you to represent them before the Court, it is untenable that you would seek justice in the very institution and before the very Judges, whose reputation and integrity you never tire of assaulting,” the Supreme Court Registrar wrote in the letter to the Senior Counsel.

    The court accuses Ahmednassir of conducting a campaign on print, electronic, and social media while scandalizing the court.

  • Anne Amadi’s Link To Alleged Gold Fraud A Risk To Judiciary Reputation, CJ Koome Must Act Fast

    Anne Amadi’s Link To Alleged Gold Fraud A Risk To Judiciary Reputation, CJ Koome Must Act Fast

    Chief Registrar of Judiciary Anne Amadi‘s link to the Sh130 million gold scam has in the recent times out the reputation of the Kenyan judiciary in bad light given that criminal networks in the fake gold scam has been conning hundreds of millions from foreigners putting Kenya in a row with other countries.

    Amadi has distanced herself from the Sh100 million fake gold scam, saying it was her son who has been managing the law firm linked to the gold scam.

    In a fresh suit seeking to set aside orders that froze her accounts, Amadi claims that she left private practice on January 13, 2014 when she was appointed as the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary.

    Initially, Justice David Majanja was handling the case and  issued orders freezing her accounts, that of her son and two others on the application by Bruton Gold Trading LLC, a company in Dubai.

    Justice Manyanja later recused himself from the case saying he could not continue hearing the case since he sits in the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) where Amadi is the secretary to the commission.

    While standing her ground maintaining that she’s innocent, Amadi’s position is beyond her personal character, she’s carrying the burden of judiciary’s reputation. Kenyans remember when the DCJ Nancy Barasa pinched a guard’s nose, she was forced to resign. What Amadi is being accused of is way bigger than that.

    While weighing in on the case, Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua suggested that the judiciary official should step aside pending the hearing and determination of the matter.

    The case

    Ms Amadi, alongside her son Brian Ochieng, two other Kenyans and a Liberian citizen have been sued by Bruton Gold Trading LLC, a gold trading firm registered in Dubai, which claims to have lost $742,206 between September 22 and October 21, 2021.

    According to an affidavit by the trader, Mr Demetrios Bradshaw, the money was meant for the purchase of 1,500 kilogrammes of gold bars, but the precious metal was never delivered to the buyer in Dubai.

    The other defendants in the case are Andrew Njenga Kiarie, Kikanae Topoti, Daniel Ndegwa Kangara alias Daniel Muriithi and Edward Taylor alias Mboronda Seyenkulo Sakor, a Liberian passport holder.

    Mr Ochieng (Amadi’s son), Mr Kiarie and Mr Topoti are advocates in the law firm, Amadi and Associates, while Mr Kangara was representing a company called Universal Gold Logistics Limited (UGL) and Mr Sakor was said to have been the vendor of the gold.

    In his affidavit, Mr Bradshaw says that in September 2021, he entered into a transaction with Mr Taylor and paid the cash to UGL through Amadi and Associates, who were its legal representatives. Mr Kangara then sent him documents indicating that the gold had been exported and would shortly arrive in Dubai. He was given a flight and consignment number.

    However, when he checked with the airline, he was told no such consignment had been sent aboard the flight. When he checked with Kangara and Sakor, they informed him that the gold had been taken off the plane as there were some payments which had not been made. He then made the payments and they confirmed to him that some 200 kilogrammes of gold would be exported on the October 22, 2021.

    However, Mr Bradshaw says, no gold was ever exported.

    Mr Sakor then informed him that a court order prohibiting the transfer of the gold to him had been issued.

    Mr Bradshaw later learnt that the suit had in fact been filed by one of the advocates from the same firm, but was subsequently withdrawn and that the order that had been sent to him was different from the actual order that had been issued by court.

    He then filed a complaint with the police, who investigated the matter. The investigations showed that the money deposited was withdrawn by Mr Ochieng and one of his partners in the law firm, Mr Kiarie.

    In his suit, Mr Bradshaw says Ms Amadi and the three advocates, on behalf of the firm and in their personal capacity, together with Mr Kangara and Mr Taylor illegally obtained the money from him and wants them compelled to refund the cash, with interest and cost of the suit.

    He says the account into which the money was paid was opened by Ms Amadi. In support, he attaches a letter Ms Amadi wrote to the bank, requesting the opening of a US dollar and Kenya shilling accounts. In the letter to the bank, dated June 9, 2020, and referenced, “Request to open a client account”, Ms Amadi states: Refer to the above referenced matter, hereby requesting the opening of an advocate’s client account at your renowned banking institution. I have since left private practice and therefore exempted from having a practicing certificate, however, I have appointed Brian O. Amadi (Id. No. ….) and Andrew Njenga Kiarie (ID No…) as signatories to the said account….. We would like to open both a Kenyan shilling and a US dollar account. The mandate of the account shall be both of the signatories of the account to sign.

    Also in the court documents is a letter from the Law Society of Kenya, dated March 7, 2022, which states: “We confirm that, according to our records, Kimani James Kinyanjui, Kiarie Andrew Njenga, Kinoti Dennis Murithi and Amadi Brian Ochieng advocates have declared to be associates in the firm of Amadi and Associates Advocates.”

    There’s also a registration certificate from the Business Registration Services, dated August 23, 2022 which states that a law firm by the name, Amadi and Associates was registered on November 9, 2012, and its proprietor was Anne Atieno Amadi.

    Mr Bradshaw states that investigations into the case had revealed that the funds, which were received through the law firm were withdrawn in cash by Mr Ochieng and Mr Ndegwa.

    “Simply put the defendants herein orchestrated a fraudulent scheme to obtain money from the plaintiff,” his lawyer Murage Juma and Company said.

    After getting wind that the matter was being investigated, Mr Ochieng allegedly called for a meeting and committed to refund the money plus losses incurred by the firm, Mr Bradshaw says. The law firm wrote a letter to the trader’s advocates on May 10, last year and forwarded two cheques totaling to $9,000 as a commitment.

    Mr Bradshaw’s advocates accepted the cheques on account that the entire amount would be refunded and requested a proposal on the settlement of the balance.

    In the plaint, Mr Bradshaw claims that Ms Amadi in telephone conversations, made proposals to clear the amount within six months, but this was declined because there was no security.

    Not yet

    Since her accounts were frozen, the embattled judiciary registrar has been making unsuccessful requests to have her accounts unfrozen. This has also been seen quarters as grounds for her to step aside as she could interfere with proceedings by piling pressure on her juniors.

    The circus

    In the latest development, High court has declined to set aside an order freezing bank accounts of the Chief Registrar. She had rushed to Court under a certificate of urgency seeking to lift the freeze order issued by Justice David Majanja on May 18.

    Justice Majanja who sits alongside Amadi at Judicial Service Commission (JSC) recused himself from handling the matter and transferred the case to presiding judge of commercial court Alfred Mabeya.

    Amadi told the court freezing of her personal bank accounts was prejudicial to her and she was unable to fend for her family.

    Justice Mabeya directed the Dubai based company- Bruton Gold Trading LLC to respond to Amadi’s application ahead of the hearing on May 29.

    Corruption in judiciary

    The latest saga which is also rumored to have roped in two other members of JSC is only adding to the many graft scandals that has plagued the judiciary.

    Justice Said Juma Chitembwe was recently sacked over gross misconduct but this is a tip of the iceberg according to judiciary insiders.

    In the wake of Amadi’s tribulation, it is the silence of Chief Justice Martha Koome that has also alarmed others. While she’s naturally a laid back person, she should remind her counterpart to put the institution first ahead of her personal interests. Nobody is saying she’s guilty or not but as she’s pursuing the justice, it would only be prudent to step aside, let the wheels run until determination. But until then, the headlines won’t stop flashing.

    As the president of the judiciary, Koome should stamp the authority.

  • How Mwilu, Wanjala will exit Supreme Court

    How Mwilu, Wanjala will exit Supreme Court

    The incoming Chief Justice Martha Koome’s first assignment upon assuming office will be to overhaul the Supreme Court bench by executing  the plot to kick out Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu and Justice Smokin Wanjala.

    The two including the retired CJ David Maraga and Justice Isaac Lenaola rubbed the system the wrong way through a majority ruling which annulled the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2017 and ordered IEBC to conduct fresh presidential polls.

    But the then ruffled Uhuru vowed to revisit the issue and fix the Judiciary by uprooting the judges who reversed his win after the repeat polls which his main challenger Raila Odinga kept away from.

    The bad blood between the president and the Judiciary was showcased in the run up to Maraga’s retirement including starving the judiciary of funds and the refusal by the president to swear in judges appointed by Maraga.

    DCJ Mwilu has also been embroiled in multiple charges of corruption which pundits have argued was a plot to bar her from succeeding Maraga who retired on January 15 2021.

    In December last year activist Okiya Omtatah petitioned the High Court to stop Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu from ascending to the position of Chief Justice despite meeting a nice cut to succeed Maraga.

    Omtatah wanted the court to stop Mwilu from assuming the seat even in an acting capacity, until she is cleared of the graft allegations and abuse of office charges she is facing.

    Reliable sources now reveal that Supreme Court will undergo a major f’therapy’ where only Justice Njoki Ndung’u is expected to survive because she is pro-system and Justice Isaac Lenaola because he comes from a minority community.

    Troubled Mwilu and Justice Mohammed Warsame are also linked to cartel of lawyers including Paul Muite, Makau Mutua, Ahmednassir Abdullahi, and Law Society of Kenya president Nelson Havi who are backing William Ruto’s presidential bid.

    Koome who is already in a war of words with the LSK president will be tasked to tame the gang which has been in the corridors of justice since the days of former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga.

    Martha Koome, incoming chief justice of Kenya [p/courtesy]
    JSC Chairperson Olive Mugenda was to ensure that Koome ‘beat’ all other candidates including her boss at the Court of Appeal, Justice William Ouko who is expected to become a supreme court judge to please Raila Odinga and his ODM luminaries.

    But once Mwilu is removed, Justice Ouko can be nominated for the DCJ position to calm the Luo community which is yet to reap the fruits of the handshake between  President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga.

    The math was deliberately complicated in favor of Koome after Justice Ouko was betrayed by JSC commissioner AG Paul Kihara who awarded him 46% while commissioner Njeru Macharia awarded him some 42% to lock him out

    But as a sitting Chief Justice, Koome can ask Mwilu to resign or she can advise the president to form a tribunal to investigate and remove her from the DCJ position.

    Koome will also represent Supreme Court at the JSC which will have a majority of Uhuru allies to approve the removal of Mwilu over the graft cases she is facing.

    Supreme Court Judge Smokin Wanjala [p/courtesy]
    Embattled Mwilu was recently denied powers to chair the panel which interviewed the CJ in preference of Mugenda who is pro -establishment while  Justice Wanjala’s troubles emanate from annulling Uhuru’s win and his bad conduct.

    In February 2021, a video of a visibly intoxicated Wanjala giving his speech and bragging over his academic qualifications at the burial of Rtd. Justice Lawrence Peter Ouna in Busia County made rounds on social media.

    “I am well learned. I went to university and attained a degree. I also undertook my masters at Columbia University. I learnt English and I am a fluent speaker,” Wanjala said.

    But the hasty announcement of Koome as the nominated CJ and the president’s move to quickly forward her name for rubber stamping by the parliament looks suspect. The president who had refused to appoint judges wanted Koome’s name to sail through before anyone could challenge her nomination in court.

    Uhuru claimed that the judges nominated by Maraga were corrupt but did not say the same of Koome who has been accused of being part of a judicial conspiracy that defeated electoral justice in 2017.