The Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ), commonly referred to as the Ombudsman, on Wednesday announced the suspension of the summons issued to members of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) last month.
On 28th February 2025, the Ombudsman had summoned ten JSC Commissioners to appear before it on 25th March 2025. They were required to respond to allegations regarding their failure to publish and publicize a status report on unresolved matters lodged against judicial officers pending before the Judiciary Ombudsman and the JSC.
CAJ Chairperson Charles Dulo stated that the suspension was necessary to facilitate inter-institutional engagement with the JSC through dialogue, mediation, or negotiation.
“The decision follows a request by the Chief Justice and is in line with Article 159 (2) (c) of the Constitution and Regulation 23 of the Commission on Administrative Justice, 2013,” Dulo said in a statement to the media.
“In addition, the decision has been informed by a pending matter before the Supreme Court- Advisory No. E001 of 2025, which is coming up on 3rd April,2025, where the Commission has sought advisory opinion on how to handle complaints touching on Constitutional Commissioners and devolved governments in relation to its powers and limitations,” the chairman added.
Given that the Supreme Court is seized of the advisory, the Ombudsman confirmed that it has chosen to suspend all summons issued to JSC members to ensure that both processes can proceed without interference and to demonstrate CAJ’s goodwill and commitment to resolving the issues raised amicably.
The CAJ also commended the Chief Justice for her decision to honour the Commission’s summons through her legal team.
