Phillip Murgor’s Bloated Ego Exposed as he Tones down the JSC Panel

Philip Murgor and acting Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu nose-dived into a battle of words during the JSC interview. It was evident that the two are sworn adversaries. 

Ag Chief Justice Mwilu posed: “Are you still with me?”

Murgor replied: “I’ve totally lost you. I don’t know whom you are with.”

Murgor had earlier demanded the recusal of DCJ Mwilu from the JSC interviewing panel over his past advocate-client relationship with Fred Ngatia. Ngatia is among the 10 candidates who were cleared to be interviwed for the position of Chief Justice.

During the interview, he kept on referring Mwilu as acting Chief Justice. The former DPP ashamed deputy chief Justice Philomena Mwilu, when he clarified that: “An acting Chief Justice is not the same as having a Chief Justice. It is a fact there is no substantive Chief Justice in office.”

Senior Counsel Philip Murgor, while appearing before the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), during an interview for the Chief Justice position, started by stating that he was a Kalenjin- a tribe that isn’t represented at the Supreme Court.

His statement about tribal representation was widely castigated as Kenyans on social media wondered how the over 40 tribes could be accommodated in the Supreme Court. 

He referred the judiciary as a sinking ship. Murgor told the panel that he started interacting with the judiciary long before many of them. 

One person wrote on Twitter: “Philip Murgor has begun his interview by stating that he comes from the Kalenjin tribe, that isn’t represented at the Supreme Court. You can choose to interpret that statement the way you like, but we have more than 40 officially recognized tribes without a Supreme Court Judge.”

Murgor bashed social media lawyers such as Ahmednasir Abdullahi, Nelson Havi and Donald Kipkorir who keep on tweeting about corrupt judges and attack the judiciary when the ruling goes against their expectations.

LSK President Reacts

In a quick rejoinder, Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Nelson Havi attacked Murgor over his involvement in the infamous night sedition trials during the era of Daniel Arap Moi.

Havi: “Philip Murgor was Bernard Chunga’s spanner boy in the infamous night sedition trials. Many innocent Kenyans were tortured and detained on his instructions. How can we have such an individual as Chief Justice?”

Profile of Phillip Murgor

Philip Murgor was born on July 4 1961 in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County. In 1981, he joined the University on Nairobi to study law and graduated in 1985. He then joined the Kenya school of law for a post graduate Diploma in Law.

After his post graduate studies, he was appointed as a State Counsel at the Public Prosecution Department in Kisumu in 1986.

The then Public Prosecutor Bernard Chunga transferred Murgor to Nairobi in 1992. He later on resigned from the civil service and joined his wife in private practice at Murgor and Murgor advocates. It was at this law firm where he was contracted to represent former president Daniel Arap Moi in an election petition after the first multiparty elections in 1992.

In 1995, he represented the Central Bank in a Goldenberg scandal case. He was to assist Central Bank recover billions of money that had been lost under shady deals.

During Mwai Kibaki’s era, he was appointed as the Public Prosecutor.