The Judiciary has distanced itself from a letter circulating online that purported to show attempts by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to influence a Supreme Court matter concerning the eligibility of impeached public officers to contest elective office.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Chief Justice Martha Koome, through a statement issued on Monday, August 17, said the communication was neither authored nor issued by her office or any authorised organ of the Judiciary.

The Judiciary described the document as a deliberate fabrication, warning that it sought to misuse the name and institutional authority of the Chief Justice to advance political narratives.

“The Judiciary wishes to categorically state that the letter is FAKE. It was neither authored nor issued by the Hon. Chief Justice, her Office, nor any authorised organ of the Judiciary,” the Judiciary stated.

📌 What You Need to Know

The institution urged members of the public, media practitioners and other stakeholders to verify communications attributed to the Chief Justice or the Judiciary through established official channels before relying on or sharing them.

The clarification came after the document, which carried the Chief Justice's name and Judiciary branding, circulated on social media purporting to be an official communication on a pending Supreme Court case.

The fabricated letter obtained by  Kenyans.co.ke on August 17, which appeared to carry the Chief Justice’s name and Judiciary branding, purported to show that Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu had lodged a complaint over alleged attempts to influence a pending constitutional petition.

“ The Judicial Service Commission issues this statement following a formal complaint lodged with the Commission by Hon. Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu, in which she reports sustained and deeply troubling attempts to procure her influence in connection with a matter currently pending before the Supreme Court, specifically, a constitutional petition seeking a determination on the eligibility of impeached public officers to contest for elective office,” the fake letter stated in part.

It further claimed that former Chief Justice David Maraga and Wiper Party Leader and Senior Counsel Kalonzo Musyoka approached Mwilu over the case involving impeached public officers.

Among the measures the document purported to announce were investigations into Maraga and Kalonzo, possible disciplinary action and referral of the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke