Justice Kiage steals the show with poetic judgment on BBI [Video]

Mwangi Gathanwa

August 20, 2021 3:52 PM

Citizen TV was forced to replace its sign language interpretor due to Justic Kiage's heavy command of the queen's language.

Justice Patrick Kiage

Justice Patrick Kiage stole the show during the delivery of the Court of Appeal’s judgement on the legallity of the Building Bridges Initiative.

Justice Kiage’s command of the queen’s language, his diction and the enthusiasm with which he spoke made his presentation the most memorable.

A few minutes into his individual judgment, the court of appeal judge got the attention of the legal professionals, media personalities and ordinary Kenyans who found his delivery as intriguing as it was confusing.

His speech was laden in heavy english words, alliteration, symbolism and traditional proverbs that suggested he was an exemplary literature scholar as he was a judge.

“Kenyans were keen to ensure that the 2010 constitution did not suffer the same ignominious fate as its predecessors and told the CKRC that its amendment had to be restricted... the people wanted a fairly rigid arrangement, the amendment of which would require their participation in some form...the people of Kenya made it quite clear that they were not going to cede the constitution to the vicissitudes and vagaries of political expediency," read part of the judge's speech.

“Justice Kiage in his element. Justice Kiage is the Jurist of the year,” constitutional lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi commented.

Justice Kiage's best quotes

"The same way new wine cannot be stored in old wine skins, it will be totally illogical to try and squeeze a transformative constitution within the suffocating straight jacket strictures of formalistic or positivistic interpretation."

"This Constitution is not a product of immaculate conception.”

"The recorded history is crystal clear that the people of Kenya conceived, composed and constituted their Constitution which they birthed in 2010."

"Any amendments that alter the core aspects of a Constitution, changing its character in a radical manner essentially changing its basic structure and in all but word, dismembers the Constitution."