5 foreign Judges to attend Supreme Court hearing on Raila petition

By Judith Gicobi

On August 28, a High-Level Panel of five foreign judges traveled to Kenya to watch the Supreme Court’s hearing on a lawsuit challenging the validity of the presidential election.

The judges belong to the Africa Judges and Jurists Forum (AJJF). Their arrival in Nairobi was confirmed by a press release on Monday, August 29.

“The eminent jurists will attend all Supreme Court hearings, monitor and document the presidential election petition based on international human rights standards of a fair trial,” the statement read in part.

The Africa Judges and Jurists Forum (AJJF) is a pan-African network of judges and jurists dedicated to advancing justice and development in Africa.

The company’s headquarters are in South Africa. The forum works by providing governments, intergovernmental organizations, funding agencies, the commercial sector, and civil society organizations legal expertise.

Tanzania’s Chief Justice (Retd), Mohammed Chande Othman, is in charge of the 2022 Trial Observation Mission.

The Hon. Lady Justice Lillian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza of the Supreme Court of Uganda, the Hon. Lady Justice Ivy Kamanga of the Supreme Court of Appeal of Malawi, the Hon. Justice Moses Chinhengo of the Court of Appeal, Lesotho, and the Hon. Lady Justice Henry Boissie Mbha, President Electoral Court of South Africa, are also included in the delegation.

The forum also examines the judiciary’s function and independence in assessing electoral disputes and the sociopolitical environment leading up to the presidential petitions.

At the conclusion of the trial observation, the observers will create a thorough report with the goal of helping to improve the judiciary’s professionalism, independence, impartiality, and accountability.