[2019] KEHC 399 (KLR)

[2019] KEHC 399 (KLR)

The court determined that, having previously served as Principal Attorney in charge of the Department of Civil Litigation and Asset Recovery at the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (and its successor, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission), and given that the file in question was under that department, there...

Source-derived case information.

Citation
[2019] KEHC 399 (KLR)
Parties
Appellant: H.H. Gichohi; Respondent: Peter Ndaa
Court
High Court
Court Station
High Court at Nairobi (Milimani Law Courts)
Jurisdiction
Kenya
Case Number
Civil Appeal 157 of 2017
Procedural Posture
Civil Appeal / Ruling on Recusal and Transfer
Outcome
recusal and transfer ordered
Judges
F Gikonyo, LM Njuguna
Legal Topics
Judicial Recusal, Conflict of Interest, Case Transfer
Source Language
en
Civil Procedure Judicial Recusal Conflict of Interest Case Transfer

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Parties

H.H. Gichohi

Appellant

Peter Ndaa

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Civil Appeal / Ruling on Recusal and Transfer

  1. 1 Whether the presiding judge should recuse himself from hearing the appeal due to prior involvement with the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission and related files.
  2. 2 Whether the appeal should be re-allocated to another judge to avoid any appearance of bias.

Ratio Decidendi

The court determined that, having previously served as Principal Attorney in charge of the Department of Civil Litigation and Asset Recovery at the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (and its successor, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission), and given that the file in question was under that department, there existed a sufficient connection to raise concerns about impartiality. Although the judge did not personally handle the specific case, the proximity to the underlying matters and access to information warranted recusal to avoid any appearance of bias. Consequently, the judge found it appropriate not to handle the merits of the appeal and directed that the file be transmitted to the...

Court Disposition

recusal and transfer ordered

Orders

  • The file is to be transmitted to the Head of Civil Division, Milimani Court, for re-allocation to another judge.