JSC forms committee to probe bribery allegations against Judge Philip Tunoi

A special Judicial Service Commission (JSC) committee has been formed to investigate bribery allegations against Supreme Court judge Philip Tunoi.

 The six-member committee chaired by Prof Margaret Kobia will probe into allegations for seven days, of which they will give their finding to the commission.

This follows allegations that Tunoi received a sum of Sh200 million as an inducement from Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero to rule in his favour at an election petition filed by Kabete MP Ferdinand Waititu in 2014.

Supreme Court Judge Tunoi Tuesday fought bribery claims against him, saying succession wars in the Judiciary were fueling the allegations. He added that he was ready to quit the bench if his accusers provided evidence of bribery.

He pointed at bad blood between old judges and magistrates serving in the Judiciary and the new ones, who joined the rank and file under the new Constitution, and claimed that they were being discriminated against.

Justice Tunoi has served in the Judiciary for the last 29-and-a-half years. He rose from a High Court judge in May 1987 before his elevation to the Court of Appeal and appointment to the Supreme Court in 2011.