Justice William Ouko on Wednesday, April 21, narrated how his family members had inspired him to attain some of his professional achievements.
Appearing before the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) for the Chief Justice interviews, Ouko disclosed that he was a police officer from 1994 to 2004.
He explained that he had decided to join the service after his family failed to get justice following the death of his brother which was caused by criminal related circumstances.
Ouko, however, explained that after the trial, the suspect was set free.
"My father thought it was due to poor investigation and urged me to be a police officer who would investigate crime. I later joined the force to satisfy my late dad’s dream and my role was to train on the use of firearms," he said.
Asked whether there was a conflict of interest since he was also overseeing the administration of the judiciary, Ouko stated that he saw none and was only helping the police to use their firearms in the right way.
"There was no situation of conflict at all during that period. I didn't see any and I didn't think it would arise. I wasn't sitting in court as a magistrate. This was something I was doing once in a while," he added.
If appointed as Chief Justice, Ouko vowed to leave a legacy of satisfied litigants in the Kenyan courts.
He noted that he would focus would on implementing recommendations that were already in place as opposed to initiating new projects.
“We have not paid attention to implementation, which is an area the next CJ should address,” he said.
Justice Ouko also noted that he would use the appropriate judicial structure to ask President Uhuru Kenyatta to appoint the 41 judges presented to him by retired Chief Justice David Maraga.
"The Chief Justice office has structured routes of communication with the Head of State and if there is none, it will be up to me to establish it, which will involve all three arms of government," he stated.
