Veteran lawyer John Khaminwa has hit out at former Attorney General Githu Muigai, telling him that he started his career when he was still breastfeeding.
Khaminwa, who was addressing a three-bench judge hearing considering petitions arising from Rigathi Gachagua’s impeachment as Deputy President, had declined to take his seat as requested by Muigai.
“I will not sit down. I started practising law when you were breastfeeding,” Khaminwa said.
“Let us not let people call themselves professors or senior counsel; titles which do not mean anything.”
Khaminwa was protesting the time the court had allocated to the petitioner and respondents to speak.
“Let Paul Muite be given as much time as he wants, let Githu Muigai be given as much time. That is the healing process and from this court, we shall all match forward with confidence,” he said.
It was at this point that Muigai stood to speak, but Khwinwa told him he was still talking.
“With respect will you please sit down, Khaminwa is talking,” he said.
Muigai went on to say that under the rules of court, a senior counsel has a preference to speak first before any other person except the Attorney General. AG Dorcas Agik Oduor was before the court.
But Khaminwa insisted on speaking, stating that lawyers must be allowed to speak without time limits.
“We want the country to wake up and to revive. The country is Kenya if you do not know what I am talking about. Let lawyers say what they want to say. This should be part of the healing process of the whole country,” he said.
It is at this point that Justice Eric Ogolla asked Khaminwa to suggest the time lawyers should be allocated. “Tell us in your view, how much time do you want us to allocate the parties,” Ogolla said.
Khaminwa responded by stating “We talk about time in civil matters but we are dealing here with the issue of impeachment of the Deputy President. It is not a small matter at all, it’s a matter that is touching the whole nation. It has paralysed the nation.”