It is now emerging that one of the Supreme Court judges has
had a long-running romantic affair with one of the lawyers who appeared for ODM
leader Raila Odinga.
Justice Philomena Mwilu has reportedly been having a
romantic relationship with Busia Senator Amos Wako.
The two are said to have met in 1997 when Mwilu, who was
working as a legal executive at a local insurance company, visited the former
AG for some official assistance.
At the time of their meeting, Mwilu had three children while
Wako had two from his first wife
In the diplomatic and political inner circles, the
Deputy Chief Justice is regarded as Wako's de facto second wife to the extent
that many of their invitations to special events are addressed to them as a
couple.
The Nairobian quoted a number of close friends to the
two learned partners who indicated that the two are "perfect
partners".
“I drink with Wako regularly. He loves his whiskey and he
doesn’t mind drinking till late, but in more than a decade, I have never seen
him with any other woman,” the anonymous friend stated.
Wako and Mwilu's romance, although not solidified in a
formal marriage, has also been the subject of litigation.
PulseLive.co.ke independently verified a case filed in
2011 where Mwilu was challenged about her relationship with the then Attorney
General by lawyer Eric K'Omollo who was concerned about potential conflict of
interest.
K'Omoillo had objected to Mwilu presiding over a matter
where the office of the Attorney General was a party.
The case calling for Mwilu’s disqualification, however, was
declined and the current DCJ allowed to hear the matter. She had at the time
indicated that the relationship was in public domain and that nothing was being
hidden.
In the presidential petition heard at the highest court,
the matter did not come up even though the former AG was representing the
petitioner in whose favor Mwilu ultimately ruled.
It remains unclear if the parties in that petition were
aware of the closeness between the judge and the ODM senator.
However, the Supreme Court is now facing a petition filed at
the Judicial Service Commission, and calling for disciplinary action for among
other things, "irregular contact with the current Busia Senator".
