Commentary By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.

ALTHOUGH I do not wish to underrate the works of the Judiciary Service Commission, which was recently hastily constituted by our Honorable Chief Justice Willy Mutunga to investigate the conduct of the Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Baraza,I am of the opinion that the issue was grossly exaggerated and overblown out of proportion by interested parties.

The committee in its seemingly harsh verdict had recommended to President Mwai Kibaki that the DCJ be suspended from her duties within the next 14 days followed by the appointment of a tribunal to investigate the conduct of the DCJ for further disciplinary action.

If the Kenyan society is made of close to 80 per cent Christians who well versed in Christianity doctrines of forgiveness this should not have been the case. This is because the incident was a minor one and the DCJ has sincerely and genuinely tendered her apology to the young lady security guard Mrs Rebecca Kerubo Morara,who in turn has already expressed her willingness to forgive Baraza and not to pursue the matter any further then why can’t we Kenyan forgive DCJ and let the matter rest there?

Furthermore, this otherwise minor incident has already drawn in both political and tribal angles with some communities seeing the possibility having Baraza kicked out of that coveted office would pave the way for their own wives and daughters chances of moving up the ladder. This is not the very best way of good governance but tantamount to witch-hunting.

I may be a layman, and not widely versed with legal matters, but as a father I am making my personal and passionate appeal to President Mwai Kibaki to exercise his fatherly heart by ignoring the committee’s radical and sugar-coated request for Baraza’s suspension fro office. The DCJ should be spared and given a chance to continue with noble task of reform agenda within our hitherto rotten and corruption ridden judiciary system.

As parents we shall also talk to Baraza to usher in some elements of reform into her own temperamental attitude and reaction to issues in relations to her high office and also to avoid carrying her office with her to wherever she goes. She will need to humble herself to the society that she is serving so that she can earn respect in reciprocation. She should be mesmerized by her accession to the highest office in our judiciary system.

As parents, and one of those Kenyans who believes in gender equality I am very proud of the DCJ for being the first indignant Kenyan female to achieve the highest status within our judiciary system I an are which for many years remained the exclusively the preserve of the males. Nancy has been discharging her official duties diligently and with the seal that her high office requires therefore should not crucify her at the whims of the tribalists and sectionalist minded people might be secretly hatching the plot to replace her with their own, the Kenyan style of dong things the wrong way.

Given the prevailing insecurity situation countrywide and constant threats against law abiding Kenya citizens by terrorists group anyone could have reacted in the way and the manner the DCJ Baraza had reacted when she was about to cross the security checking table at the shop. May be the approach by the guards was not well coordinated making her to feel her personal safety was under threat. It is also imperative for the security providing firms to educate and enlightened their guards on how to approach their duties, especially when handling customer and the security checkpoints, I have personally came cross some of the security guards posted at the gates of most posh hotels in Kisumu City shoving the customers around in uncouth manners.

There are many contentious issues including the allegations drug trafficking by people suspect to be close to the corridor of power, mega financial scandals involving millions of lost taxpayers money, unresolved killing of innocent Kenyans and politically motivated assassinations of the most promising leaders, naked vandalizing of funds meant to improve the quality of our children’s education standards, massive corruption in lands offices countrywide as well as shameless corruption being practiced by traffic police on our highways with impunity.

These and many other are the issues which should be given top priority and adequately addressed instead our leaders and officials wasting valuable times on petty hullabaloos and fuss on minor issues like the one related to the DCJ Baraza.

Baraza is a true reformist and she should be allow to continue with her good work at the Supreme Court of Kenya.

Ends