The judiciary received lots of plaudits for doing
things right. And in a manner that seemed to have been set to capture this
correct trend assumed by the arm of government, the hosts and the guests chose
to stand upright, and addressed the Fourth Estate. They disobeyed the empty
seats behind, begging them to sit and went on to give their briefs to the media
on their feet.
It was not a day for obedience to any set of rules
as the session progressed with a few out-of-place incidences that bore generous
smiles instead of embarrassments.
The Chief Justice Willy Mutunga was hosting former
United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan who is visiting the country with
other personalities in the Panel of Eminent African Persons at the Supreme
Court premises in Nairobi.
The Chief Justice appeared to have stepped on the
right protocol when he invited former President Benjamin Mkapa to address the
press when the chairperson Mr Annan should have been behind the microphones
first drawing guarded interjection from the former Tanzanian leader. The
surprised Mr Mkapa said “his chair should have addressed the media first” but
still went on to give his thoughts on the present visit by the eminent persons.
A bright-faced Mr Mkapa said “nimelazimishwa kuzumngumza kabla ya mwenyekiti
wangu (I have been forced to speak before my chairman).”
“I’m still learning the protocol here,” Dr Mutunga
said amid laughter from the amused group as Mr Mkapa came forth to talk to the
journalists.
Mr Mkapa although he brushed aside the protocol miss
he soon was the recipient of his own apparent misstep. He chose to speak in
Swahili, the most preferred language in his country, but Mr Annan not able to
understand it asked for the translation of what he had said, drawing laughter
from the hosts who seemed comfortable with Swahili. Dr Mutunga had asked
the chairperson of the Panel of Eminent African Persons if he needed any
translation and an amused Mr Annan rejected the offer responding that he would
get the translation later from the former president.
The former UN boss arrived at the Supreme Court at
around 11.30am escorted by a tight security detail that gave no chance to any
interruption of his movement. They surrounded him as he entered the building
and hurriedly walked passed the media stand and into the CJ’s office where they
met in camera for about 30minutes before coming out, stood upright besides the
microphone stand as cameras clicked and reporters got ready to listen to the
dignitaries.
The people of respect: the CJ, Mr Annan, Mr Mkapa
were shown where to stand by High Court Registrar Gladys Shollei and they
obeyed her directions.
Whether it was out of intuition or the dignitaries
felt it was right to give the judiciary reforms a standing ovation remained
unknown however what came out though was a unanimous agreement that the
judiciary was heading in the right direction.
The visitors praised Dr Mutunga for steering the
judiciary in the right direction saying Kenyans’ confidence in courts had
been restored by the ongoing reforms.
