Willis Otieno accuses Judiciary of double standards
Lawyer and political commentator Willis Otieno has hit out at Chief Justice Martha Koome following her recent call to end the cyberbullying of judges.
Taking to his official X account on Saturday, August 23, 2025, Otieno accused the Judiciary of applying double standards when addressing public concerns.
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He questioned why strong criticism of judges is quickly labelled as “cyberbullying”, yet ordinary Kenyans brutalised by police, looted by corrupt officials, or denied justice by the courts are expected to accept their suffering as part of the “normal process”.
“Fair. But where is the same end-to-end protection for citizens brutalised by police, looted by officials, and denied justice by the same judiciary? Why is it that when judges are criticised, it’s “cyberbullying”, but when wananchi suffer, it’s a “normal process”?” he posed.
United Nations’ concerns
The United Nations had raised concerns over a rising wave of cyberattacks targeting the Kenyan Judiciary, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to judicial independence.
Speaking on Monday, August 18, 2025, during the official opening of the 2025 Judges Colloquium themed “Digital Transformation, Technology and Law – Tech Justice”, CJ Koome said that while technology has transformed access to justice, it has also opened new avenues for harassment, intimidation, and delegitimisation of courts.
A statement shared by the Judiciary on Monday night, August 18, 2025, noted that CJ Koome had observed that social media platforms, while serving as important spaces for dialogue and information sharing, have also become arenas where the dignity of judges and judicial officers is undermined.
“Over the last one year, we have witnessed a worrying and ugly trend of increased cyberbullying, targeted harassment, and orchestrated online campaigns against judges and judicial officers,” CJ Koome said.
Social media
According to the CJ, social media platforms have become double-edged tools—important for dialogue and transparency, yet increasingly weaponised to erode public trust in judicial decisions.
She cautioned that these attacks are not simply spontaneous criticism but calculated campaigns designed to intimidate judges and undermine the rule of law.
“These platforms have become conduits for unfounded accusations, half-truths, and outright defamatory allegations intended to sow doubt and delegitimise judicial decisions. Such attacks are not merely directed at individual judges but are calculated to corrode public confidence in our entire system of justice,” she stated.
CJ Koome cyberbullied
In December 2024, CJ Koome confessed to facing cyberbullying while in her line of duty.
Speaking during the opening of the inaugural High Court Human Rights Summit, the president of the apex court in the country described the form of bullying she has encountered as technologically facilitated gender-based violence.
