Somali lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi refuses to return to Kenya’s supreme court
Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi, a prominent Somali lawyer, has declared that he will not resume legal practice before Kenya’s Supreme Court.
Mogadishu (Somali Report) — Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi, one of Kenya’s most prominent lawyers, says he will not return to legal practice before the country’s Supreme Court despite the court lifting a ban that had barred him, his partners and associates from appearing before the apex court.
In a statement, Ahmednasir welcomed the removal of restrictions on his law firm but said his personal boycott of the Supreme Court would remain in force unless fundamental reforms are carried out.
He said the court must publicly acknowledge that the ban was wrong, arguing that no bench of seven judges should claim the authority to decide who may or may not practice before it, regardless of constitutional provisions.
“If this is allowed to pass without accountability, the Supreme Court risks being seen as the personal property of seven individuals,” he said.
Ahmednasir said the lifting of the ban does not resolve what he called serious, longstanding concerns about the integrity, competence and legitimacy of the Supreme Court. He said those issues remain unaddressed and cannot simply be ignored if the court’s credibility and public standing are to be restored.
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“Merely removing the ban does not cure the deeper legitimacy deficit,” he said. “These matters cannot be swept under the carpet.”
He described his continued boycott as a deliberate personal sacrifice in what he calls a broader campaign against “JurisPESA,” a term he uses to allege the monetisation and corruption of justice within Kenya’s courts. Ahmednasir said returning to practice before the Supreme Court would undermine his ability to speak freely and criticise what he sees as judicial misconduct.
“If I return, who will remain to fight JurisPESA in our courts?” he asked, saying only a small number of lawyers are willing to confront the issue publicly. He cited former Law Society of Kenya president Nelson Havi as one of the few who have done so.
In a direct message to Chief Justice Martha Koome, Ahmednasir said he was willing to assist in reforming the judiciary, drawing on his experience as a former chair of the Law Society of Kenya and a former member of the Judicial Service Commission.
He challenged the chief justice to take up the offer, saying he stood ready to help overhaul the courts and confront what he described as entrenched judicial corruption.
The Supreme Court has not publicly responded to Ahmednasir’s latest remarks.
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