Chief Justice Martha Koome has defended her controversial remarks on the prosecution of individuals sponsoring goons, insisting that financiers and masterminds behind organised violence must also face the law.
Speaking on Thursday during the opening and operationalisation of Maara Law Courts in Tharaka Nithi County, Koome maintained that those financing and facilitating goonism should not be spared as authorities pursue individuals directly involved in violence.
The Chief Justice warned security and investigative officers against frustrating the administration of justice, particularly in sexual offences and defilement cases, saying officers who interfere with court proceedings or facilitate the withdrawal of cases through behind-the-scenes negotiations should be held accountable.
Koome further reiterated her position that sponsors of goons should be prosecuted under serious crimes laws, insisting that those orchestrating violence from behind the scenes must be brought to justice.
She also used the occasion to officially open Maara Law Courts, which were constructed through the support of Maara MP Kareke Mbiuki and the Judiciary.
The new facility becomes the 151st magistrate court in the country, marking another milestone in the Judiciary’s efforts to expand access to justice.Koome said she was committed to increasing the number of courts to 200 before the end of her tenure.
A total of 269 cases, including approximately 100 land-related disputes, will be transferred from Chuka Law Courts to the newly established Maara facility.
The courts are scheduled to begin operations on January 4, 2027, bringing judicial services closer to residents of Maara and surrounding areas.
Meanwhile, Council of Governors (CoG) Chairperson and Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki has thrown his weight behind Koome’s position, saying individuals financing and sponsoring goons must equally be held accountable.
Njuki argued that the fight against goonism would remain ineffective if authorities concentrated on arresting young people carrying out acts of violence while allowing those funding and organising them to walk free.
He maintained that sponsors and financiers should face prosecution alongside those directly involved in criminal activities, warning that failure to pursue the masterminds would allow the vice to persist.
The remarks by Koome and Njuki come amid renewed calls for accountability in addressing organised violence, with growing emphasis on holding both perpetrators and their alleged sponsors responsible.
