Smear Campaign on Dr. Mutunga by Citizen TV

Job
It is not so much that Citizen chooses to go along that path by framing Willy thus, it is that there could be an insidious design meant to enable the search for the CJ to end up picking persons friendly to the status quo and to the Ocampo trio just as in the abortive nominations. I have fund myself thinking (without casting aspersions on the JSC) whether the whole process is temper-proof and free from manipulation.

Read between the lines.

I don't think it is the 'earring' which is the issue, here.

From where I sit, the 'earring' is meant to show that Willy Mutungi is gay. I believe gay men wear 'earrings' as their identity. I maybe wrong but that seems to me to be the most plausible explanation.

If it is true, then would Kenya be happy with a gay Chief Justice?

I doubt the truth on the point that an outside will be more progressive. Dr Mutungi is an academic, who judicial acumen has not be tested nor tried. Theory and practice are two areas in Law, as with any other professions, which are never alike. Secondly, Dr Mutungi has not progressed in his role as a Lecturer in UoN. His leadership quality are therefore lacking. That is, if he has not been able to achieve professorial status as an educator, I doubt he is the 'right' material to lead complex judiciary structure like ours. Most judges who came from academia are professors. Would it be right therefore to have a Chief Justice, a Lecturer lording over judges who were professors?

I think the best person is Lee Muthoga. This is a man who has been involved on several fronts in the judiciary with extensive experience sitting as a pivotal judge in a very highly regarded institution. It is Muthoga who fought for the 'africanisation' of judges when Njonjo was keen to staff the High and Court of Appeal with mainly white judges.

The Chief Justice position is largely an administrative portfolio that provides visionary leadership to the entire Judiciary. A Chief Justice doesn't sit at the bench listening to cases day in day out. Check out it's role before engaging any further along this line of argument.





You need to be serious! Why was Mutunga's tenure at the University of Nairobi interrupted in the first place? It was the State that interrupted his academic progress at the University. Unless you want to challenge Mutunga's impressive academic qualifications, this argument has no merit whatsoever.


During the Moi era, Lecturers were promoted not solely on merit, but loyalty to the government of the day. But more important, qualified academicians were denied promotion purely on the basis of their respective roles in democratic and human rights activism. This is where Mutunga falls.


He went on to engage in other more important matters for the nation - efforts which resulted to the kind of freedoms you enjoy today. Kenya's civil society knows what role Mutunga has played. Human rights defenders of Kenya and all reformists and progressives appreciate the difference between consistent reformists like Mutunga, and occasional "reformists" like Muthoga and Kiraitu, who automatically switch off their "reform" buttons as soon as their tribesmate (like Kibaki) walks into power.





This is a load of balogni. Muthoga is a benefiary of, & part and parcel of the rotten Judicial system. He may be a Judge at the Rwanda tribunal but remains one of Kibaki's close advisors in the current Judiciary that has stiffled Kenya's criminal justice system.


Call it Africanization or whatever - what did that Africanization do to our Judiciary? Even Kiraitu's radical surgery? What did it give us? It yielded the rot you are witnessing today! That's what Muthoga's history reveals. Rotten status quo!

job,

I would change the heading to read something like " Smear campaign On Dr. Mutunga"

When I read the heading it made me think that Dr. Mutunga did give a speech or something about homophobia.

Jane, when you get time try reading about how the Judicial Reforms were carried out in South Africa and find who were some of the key elements and what were their backgrounds.

I find it beneath me, and apolofize if that offends you, to talk about people's abilities based on their sexual orientation. I also find it rather odd that you seem to think that men who wear earings are "gay". I don't know your interactions with men, gay or otherwise, but in the world I live including Kenya some men, boys women, hell even dogs have earings. It is the least of my concern. Let's just leave it there.

Dr. Mutunga's qualifications is fair game. Academically he is a giant. He has been a lecturer here in Canada, he has worked in very important institutions and in the last 8 or nine years he is the regional head of FORD Foundation.

But my hope is that the process of selecting a new CJ is succesfully and no tricks are applied to stick the country up with another conman. If they do, it will be same old story. Teh judiciary will stay stuck in the mad. Kenyans will have no confidence in it. The mediocrity, incompetence and corruption will thrive there as it is now. That may serve the interests of a few people for a short time but I doubt it will do much for Kenya and the struggle will just continue. No problem at all.

Oh boy, I didn't know I'm gay. I happen to sport an earring which I got from none other than my wife as a present! And my wife is female for crying out loud!!!! Geez, in which century do some people live?

I bet 'Sonko' the thief in parliament is also gay!!! I'm laughing, this is outright stupidity!

Jane,

I was going to let you know about Dr. Mutunga's contribution and input in various fields here in Canada through FORD foundation but Adongo has already beaten me to that. For Pete's sake Lee Muthoga is one such fellow who appear attractive from the outside but another thing once you get to know his dealings.

Jane! wearing an earring is not a symbol of ones sexual orientation, celebrities like Michael Jordan have been wearing them since way back in the 80s to this day and he is not gay.

was just wondering

the gent in the picture, by western nomenclature is wearing earings, bracelets, necklaces, hairbands etc

and yet this is one almost over glorified image of the kenyan warrior so popular that many a tourist have come out to grab one for themselves

if we go by janes definition we may have a problem here, no need to even look far to the likes of michael jordanand the likes. we have our own homegrown brilliant and elegant attire that has inspired many of us.

perhaps jane doe(s) (hehehe pun intended) needs to redefine herself

Actually Africans, both men and women wore earing and body paint (tatoos) long before it was a Western phenomenon.

Its amazing how folks ignorant of their culture, can climb on the Mt top and expose their ignorance.

Same thing with homosex, its a practice that was carried out by Africans too, long before the bazungu came here as wakoloni.

destiny said:

what if he got the job and turned to be a complete flop just like PLO Lumumba at KACC? We all thought he was the perfect choice but angalia sasa?

Which people thought PLO was perfect? Wapi ( as Moi would have asked)? Hapa? on Jukwaa? You must have missed the dressing down he got here especially from Adongo who gave us detailed betrayals of PLO during his UoN days.

The issue of Willy's (ouch!!) earring has been debated and he has been bery categorical that if it means taking off the earring, then he does not want the job. He has already explained that those who think he is gay should know that he is married and sired offspring (not that it cancels him from being gay though!).

The point that has been made is lack of judicial knowledge and contrary to Job's attempt at reducing the job of CJ to being purely administrative, the CJ will be president of the Supreme Court as well as constitutional head of the Judiciary and the duties of the supreme court are clearly laid out in the constitution.

The problem I have with someone like Willy as said before is his lack of judicial experience and also his previous life as an activist. He would perhaps make a good judge of the High Court, but he certainly needs some stripes to sit on the supreme court - leave alone heading it!

Man,

No, you are wrong. Sonko NEVER got kicked out of parliament as you claim above. Show me the link to the news article you are quoting please! Only his mode of dressing was debated in parliament.