David Maraga, the president of the Kenyan Supreme Court, who last week took the historic decision to cancel President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election, is guided by an absolute faith in God and the Fa.
In his curriculum vitae, David Maraga, 66, explained during his candidacy for the post of "Chief Justice", that is to say the first magistrate of the country and president of the Supreme Court, wanting to serve the Kenyans "in the obedience of the will of God and guided by the Constitution ".This fervent Christian, married and father of three children, described by his family as a man of principles, integral and humble, presented himself as "a devout person, who believes in justice and strives to make it for everyone, its status in society ".
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| Kenya - President Of Supreme Court Has God and Law As Masters |
The Supreme Court, by invalidating the presidential election of August 8, irregularities in the transmission of the results, and by ordering a new ballot, fixed on October 17, made a welcome decision on the continent and in the world.
The judgment was rendered by a majority of four votes to two (one judge, ill, did not pronounce) - but it bears the mark of David Maraga, long a strong defender of the independence of justice .
'A man of courage'
"Because of religion, he has a level of morality that helped him make that decision," said Ojienda. "He had the courage to galvanize the other three judges ... to make the decision to cancel the election. Maraga is a man of courage, an honest man, a special man."
Even before rendering this judgment, the latter had shown signs of independence. In the spring, President Kenyatta visited Maraga Judge's native county to tell voters that "their son"
David Maraga, who had succeeded Willy Mutunga in October 2016, retired early, had not appreciated the insinuation that he could be in the boot of power and vigorously defended himself.
Shortly before the elections, he also felt that "the emerging culture of publicly lynching judges and members of the judiciary by the political class is an ignoble affront to the law, which must be resisted."
Unlike in 2013, when the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal for fraud, the lawyers of the various parties this time praised their work and professionalism.
Attachment to rule
Behind a young, athletic and always smiling face, David Maraga held the debates, courteous and very well held, with an iron hand, balanced access to the queries of each other.
Seventh-day Adventist, he had not hidden his faith from working on Saturdays before sunset. He has followed this rule, and the judicial process has not suffered. He thus summoned the hearing to state the case on a Saturday at 7 pm.
In stating the judgment, he insisted that "an election is not an event, it is a process from beginning to end." One way of saying that the issue was not to determine who had actually won, but whether the law had been respected.
Born in Kisii ethnic Nyamira (west), David Maraga served as a lawyer for 25 years, before becoming a high court judge in Nakuru (west) and Nairobi, then a court of appeal in Nairobi and Kisumu ( west), as many posts where he showed his attachment to the rule of law.
At his hearing of appointment, he had sworn on the Bible never to have accepted any bribe in his life. And at his inauguration, he promised to fight corruption, a "black spot on the judicial system."
The invalidation of the election has aroused the anger of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who called the judges "swindlers" and said they pose "a problem (that) we must resolve".
David Maraga could in the coming months have other opportunities to demonstrate that he is not afraid to thwart the powerful.
