Kenya’s election shock was no surprise to anyone who knows chief justice David Maraga
Nairobi — Kenya’s Supreme Court ruling to scrap August’s presidential election was shaped by a new chief justice who proved a staunch defender of judicial independence on a continent where judges are often seen as being under the thumb of executive powers. David Maraga’s declaration that the August 8 election was void and demand for a new poll within 60 days shocked many in the East African nation and abroad. But his announcement, after a 4-2 vote by a court panel to annul the vote, did not surprise those who know the chief justice. "We knew this case was coming and he was the man to hear it," Prof Tom Ojienda, who worked with Maraga and sits on the Judicial Service Commission that appointed him chief justice, said. "He is a stickler for the rules." President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was expected to be sworn in for a second term until Friday’s Supreme Court ruling, said he respected the decision. But he took a swipe at Maraga’s colleagues, calling them "crooks" and saying the judiciary n...
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