In its decision to ban Ahmednasir, the Supreme Court described the lawyer’s criticism of the judiciary and its officials as distasteful and abusive, aiming to undermine the functions of the apex court.
“Henceforth, you shall have no audience before this court either by yourself [or] through an employee of your law firm,” the court said in a letter addressed to Ahmednasir. “Over the years, you have relentlessly run a smear campaign on judges. You have been ridiculing this court with accusations of acts of corruption, incompetence and outright bribery.”
How can you call judges incompetent, stupid, shallow, illiterate and expect them to send you flowers and chocolate?
Ahmednasir, popularly known as Grand Mullah, is a top lawyer who has handled high profile cases in Kenya, including the 2017 presidential petition when he represented then president Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy at the time, William Ruto.
In 2018, the Supreme Court issued a warning to Ahmednasir over attacks against the court and judges and accusations of corruption as well as incompetence. Unfazed by the warning, however, the lawyer continued to use his social media platforms to make corruption allegations against unnamed judges.
Two weeks ago, Ruto praised Ahmednassir for warning him about alleged sabotage by corrupt judicial officers when he became president in 2022.
Ahmednasir SC ,you warned me of sabotage by corrupt judicial officers. I told you there are many good officers in the judiciary and that we will root out the corrupt. We shall. Muite SC, the impunity of bribing judges so as not to derail, delay, or sabotage Kenya’s imminent…
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) January 4, 2024
“Ahmednasir SC, you warned me of sabotage by corrupt judicial officers. I told you there are many good officers in the judiciary and that we will root out the corrupt. We shall,” Ruto said on X Ahmednasir who has admitted to advising the president to prioritise judicial reforms during his tenure in office.
Fighting back
Meanwhile, Ahmednasir has described the Supreme Court’s decision to ban him as unscrupulous and maintains his corruption allegations against the apex court.
He further announced his intention to challenge the decision at the East African Court of Justice in Arusha.
“I will seek legal redress against KOOME’s judicial skulduggery and niggling shenanigans. I will not waste time in going to KOOME’s CORRUPT COURT!” he said on X.
I have instructed my lawyers to file a petition in the East African Court of Justice at Arusha to seek legal redress against KOOME’s judicial skulduggery and niggling shenanigans. I will not waste time in going to KOOME’s CORRUPT COURT! @CJMarthaKoome @THE_SCOK pic.twitter.com/yxxnrXueSF
— Ahmednasir Abdullahi SC (@ahmednasirlaw) January 19, 2024
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has also criticised the Supreme Court’s decision on Ahmednasir, terming it as unconstitutional and demanding a retraction and an apology.
“The Supreme Court has irredeemably lost on this one,” LSK president Eric Theuri said. “We will not allow our statutory mandate to be encroached upon by the court.”
However, not everyone is against the ban on Ahmednasir.
Donald Kipkorir, another prominent lawyer, praised the court’s decision and condemned Ahmednasir for “disrespecting” the judicial institution. “How can you call judges incompetent, stupid, shallow, illiterate and expect them to send you flowers and chocolate?” said Kipkorir.
Ojwang Agina, a senior lawyer, described Ahmednasir as arrogant and said his remarks are politically-motivated efforts aimed at attacking the independence of the judiciary.
“That lawyer is serving his masters by attacking the judges. It’s sad and unfortunate that he has not presented any evidence over his claims. I support his ban,” Ojwang said.
This year, the judiciary has also been in the firing line of the president after he claimed that rulings by corrupt judges were derailing his government’s projects.
On Monday, Ruto met with Chief Justice Koome at State House in Nairobi to discuss his concerns about the judiciary.
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