The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has issued a strongly condemned what it termed as “excessive use of force” by police officers during a dramatic re-arrest of an accused person inside the Ruiru Law Courts on Friday.
According to the JSC, the incident occurred shortly after the court had released the accused on bond. A team of police officers then stormed the premises, discharging firearms within the court precincts a move the Commission slammed as both “excessive” and “unjustified,” especially in the absence of any immediate security threat or civil disorder.
“The use of firearms in a court environment is an affront to the authority and dignity of the Judiciary,” read the statement signed by JSC Secretary Hon. Winfridah B. Mokaya, CBS.
The Commission acknowledged the constitutional mandate of the police to enforce the law but cautioned that courts must be protected as “sacred spaces of constitutional adjudication.”
JSC urged all justice sector actors to uphold the sanctity of court spaces, warning that actions like the Ruiru incident erode public trust in the justice system.
“No matter the urgency or seriousness of a criminal investigation, the sanctity of the court must be preserved at all costs,” the statement concluded.
