BOOST: UDA Chief Whip, Silvanus Osoro Endorses Omwanza Ombati For The LSK Male Representative at the JSC

The South Mugirango MP revealed the dirty and unethical tricks they used to woo their Azimio counterparts, including arm-twisting the opposition through bribery, which resulted in the ruling party gaining a numerical advantage in Parliament to pass the government’s controversial Finance Bill.

Mr Osoro said the government spent a lot of money (although he did not specify how much) to manipulate opposition MPs to stay away from parliament during the vote so that it could pass with little opposition.

“I had to look for ways, by hook or by crook, to get it through, I had to manipulate systems, I looked for ways to get the opposition MPs to play our tune, I conspired with the opposition MPs and got some of them to absent themselves from the House so that I could get the numbers. Some were sponsored to go abroad while others were bribed to feign illness,” Mr Osoro claimed.

The controversial legislator has also been at loggerheads with Kisii Governor Simba Arati which has led to chaos and ugly scenes amongst their supporters.

Theuri vs Ombati

From the looks, it is going to be a rematch between Law Society of Kenya’s outgoing president Eric Theuri and lawyer Omwanza Ombati for the seat.

The two were the main rivals in the 2022 LSK election for its presidency but Theuri prevailed.

When he was cleared to run for the LSK Male Representative position, Ombati said his objective is to improve the operations of the JSC to make it more open and develop policies that improve advocates’ practice environment.

“The Judicial Service Commission is not merely an institution; it is the oil that runs the engines of our daily legal endeavours through critical policy interventions,” Ombati said.

“As advocates, the decision we make in choosing our representative at the JSC is of paramount importance. Our aim is clear: to seek a representative who not only understands the challenges that we face in practice but also has the best plan to address the challenges.”

The advocate counts on his 20 years’ experience to deliver for the lawyers and for the public interest.

“I believe my 20 years of active practice within the corridors of justice have prepared me adequately to represent my esteemed colleagues at the Judiciary Service Commission,” Ombati said.

Theuri said his focus is on helping reform the commission to be responsive to the needs of advocates and ensure quick turnaround of cases to deal with the backlog.

He would also champion making it easier to hold judges accountable by going after those suspected of corruption, mainstreaming lifestyle audit of the judges and peer review so that judges can denounce their colleagues for the benefit of justice.

“The judges know each other and we can streamline peer review mechanisms to so that those who suspect their colleagues can come forward for a thorough audit to be done and hold those in office to irregularly enrich themselves through bribes,” he said.

Key among his reform focus is ensuring judges commit to not deliver decisions and judgments on notice.

The two are seeking to replace Macharia Njeru whose six-year term ends in May.

The LSK election is scheduled to be held on February 29.