Supreme Court lifts ban after Ahmednasir vows to stop attacks

 

Lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi during a previous court appearing. [File, Standard]

The Supreme Court has lifted the practice ban on lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi after he pledged to stop attacks on the judiciary.

Six judges led by Chief Justice Martha Koome on Friday ruled that the two-year sanction has served its purpose, following assurances of reformed conduct, future decorum and respect for the judges.

The Supreme Court imposed the unprecedented ban on January 23, 2024, citing Ahmednasir’s continued attacks on judges and the Judiciary.

“Ahmednasir Abdullahi, his Senior Counsel, shall have no audience before this Supreme Court, either by himself, through an employee of his law firm, or any other person holding his brief, or acting pursuant to his instructions,” the letter imposing the ban stated.

In its letter, the court had questioned how the lawyer could seek justice from an institution “whose reputation and integrity you never tire in assaulting.”

Following the original ban, Ahmednasir took to social media platform X to outline his conditions for returning to practice before the Supreme Court, declaring he would not appear “as long as CJ Koome, DCJ Mwilu, Smokin Wanja and Njoki are judges of the Supreme Court of Kenya.”

But the lawyer expressed remorse and committed to refrain from future attacks on judges in a pledge conveyed through Senior Counsels Paul Muite and Fred Ngatia.

In a shift from his earlier stance, Ahmednasir has acknowledged the impact of his past conduct and committed to reform.