Auditor General Edward Ouko has unveiled a bold plan that could significantly cut presidential powers in nominating representatives in the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
In a move that comes after the President mocked and attacked him on national television, an Ouko-led committee has proposed competitive recruitment for two Judicial Service Commission (JSC) appointees currently picked by the President.
“To ensure that the ‘public representatives’ articulate the interests of the public rather than the Executive, the representatives should be appointed through a competitive process, preferably through a panel set up for such recruitment,” the committee established to audit the Constitution suggested.
Currently, the JSC Act allows the President to make two appointments of public representatives in the top decision-making organ of the Judiciary that picks among other officials, the Chief Justice and top judicial officers.
Last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta handpicked former TNA executive director Winnie Guchu and former banker Kipng’etich arap Korir as his nominees to the JSC.
The committee’s proposal was unveiled just a day after Kenyatta laughed off Ouko’s plan to travel to the US to probe the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as part of the investigations on the utilisation of Eurobond funds.
“Na huyu amesema anataka kuenda kuinterrogate (And this man here (Ouko) says he wants to interrogate) Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Ngai! (My God!) Anyway, you know, you sit back and you ask yourself, are we being serious in what we are doing?” President Kenyatta posed during the State House Accountability summit.
Ouko had also presented a report that criticised the recently enacted law allowing the merging of political parties, saying it is against the country’s Constitution.
