Parliament has rejected proposals to subject judges and magistrates to a fresh round of vetting, maintaining that the Constitution already provides effective mechanisms for dealing with complaints relating to misconduct and performance within the Judiciary.
Speaking during the launch of the Judiciary Performance Evaluation Report on behalf of National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma said there was no justification for introducing another vetting process for judicial officers.
Kaluma acknowledged that some political leaders have recently renewed calls for fresh vetting, arguing that it would address concerns over accountability in the Judiciary. However, he maintained that the existing constitutional framework already empowers the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to investigate complaints against judges, magistrates and other judicial officers and to take disciplinary action where appropriate.
He said the commission remains the legally mandated institution for handling such matters and that there was no need to create parallel accountability mechanisms.
“As long as the current Parliament remains in office, any proposals seeking another vetting of the Judiciary will not see the light of day,” Kaluma said.
His remarks come against the backdrop of an ongoing national debate on judicial accountability. While some leaders have pushed for stricter oversight of judicial officers, others argue that subjecting judges to repeated vetting could erode the independence of the Judiciary and weaken constitutional safeguards designed to protect the institution from external interference.
