The judiciary has condemned alleged threats by Mumias East MP Peter Salasya against a Kakamega-based magistrate over a case in which the legislator was a party.
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) said in a statement that the persistent threats were made by the MP during the hearing and after a judgement was delivered.
The matter has since been reported to Kakamega Central Police Station, the commission added.
“The commission has received information that Hon. Peter Salasya, MP Mumias East, has been threatening, intimidating and harassing a Hon. Magistrate presiding over a case on which he is a party,” said the JSC.
The commission said the judiciary is not subject to the control of any person or authority and any attempt to interfere with its independence, including the decision-making independence of any judge or judicial officer, is an affront to the Constitution.
“The commission wishes to reiterate that decisional independence of a judge of a judicial officer must be safeguarded at all times, and when litigants are aggrieved by the decision of the court, they may seek redress through the appellate process,” the JSC said in the statement.
The Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association also condemned the threats and called for a speedy investigation into the matter.
“Given the public interest involved, we call upon the relevant agencies to speed up the investigations," KMJA president Derrick Kuto said.
Mr Kuto said some of their members had been injured or killed in previous incidents, hence the need to stop the vice.
“This is not an isolated incident. Many of our members have been harmed and killed in the line of duty while others have had to resign. Therefore, an attack on anyone of us is an attack on all of us,” he said.
Mr Kuto said the first-term lawmaker should be arrested and charged with threatening a magistrate for carrying out her duties in her official capacity.
