Ahmednasir Goes To Tanzania As He Wages War Against Supreme Court

Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi has announced that he has moved to the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) to contest the Supreme Court of Kenya's decision that barred him and his law firm associates from seeking an audience before it.

In what is viewed as heightened tensions between him and the highest court in the land, Ahmednasir, alias the 'Grand Mullah' revealed on Friday, January 19 that he instructed his lawyers to file a petition at the court based in Arusha, Tanzania.

The vocal lawyer stated that he would not take the Supreme Court's move lying down, claiming that the apex court has corrupt elements.

“I have instructed my lawyers to file a petition in the East African Court of Justice at Arusha to seek legal redress against Koome's judicial skulduggery and niggling shenanigans. I will not waste time in going to Koome's corrupt court,” said Ahmednasir.

This comes a day after the Supreme Court in a letter drafted by Registrar Letizia Muthoni Wachira barred Ahmednasir and employees of his law firm from filing cases before it over what it termed as incessant attacks.

In response, Ahmednasir wrote on his social media pages "Isn’t it a badge of honour for the most corrupt court in Kenya to refuse me and my law firm an audience?"

He also claimed this was the second time in his career that the courts had refused him an audience for speaking his mind, including calling for the removal of some judges from the courts.

According to the Senior Counsel, the first time the courts refused him an audience was back in 2000 when he was ejected from the courts and ordered not to return.

"This was because I presented a paper in the Law Society of Kenya annual conference calling for the reconstitution of the High Court and the Court of Appeal afresh," he said.

The apex court strongly accused the prominent lawyer of relentlessly and unabashedly conducting a campaign in broadcast, print and social media aimed at scandalizing, ridiculing and outright denigrating the apex court.

"Through social media posts, media interviews and write-ups, you have accused the Court either in its constitutive persona, or individual membership, of acts of corruption, incompetence and outright bribery. This, you have done with reckless abandon, paying scant regard to the reputations of those who tirelessly serve on the Court in accordance with their Oath of Office," added the statement.

The court further disclosed that notwithstanding the damage to the reputation of the Court, and the Judges who have served thereon over the years, both in its corporate and individual posture, and to render justice to those Ahmednasir represents, the Court exercised restraint by not deploying the punitive tools available to it against him.

Chief Justice Martha Koome, her deputy Philomena Mwilu and Justices Mohamed Khadhar Ibrahim, Dr. Smokin Wanjala, Justice Njoki Susanna Ndung'u, Isaac Lenaola and William Ouko argued that they warned the SC that such conduct would in the future, not go unpunished.

The court further attached a compilation of some of the statements made by Ahmednasir against the court, its leadership and its membership over the years while warning that the punishment meted out to the prominent lawyer would serve as an example to other lawyers and judicial officials.

The decision sparked uproar nationwide, with allies both from the opposition and the government uniting in their rebuttal towards the seven judges, terming the ruling extreme and an affront to the freedom of speech as envisaged in the 2010 Constitution of Kenya.

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) objected to the decision, labelling the move illegal and a violation of a consumer's rights by dictating who should appear before them.

"The Law Society will not allow its statutory mandate to be encroached upon by the  Court and will seek an immediate retraction & apology from the Supreme Court," stated LSK President, Eric Theuri.