Judiciary seeks criminal sanctions against lawyer Ahmednasir

The judiciary has now turned to criminal law to address lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi’s online tirades about alleged corruption at Kenya’s Supreme Court.

In what is now an escalation of the long-standing standoff between Ahmednasir and the apex court, the registrar of the judiciary, who also serves as the secretary to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), has written to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Renson Ingonga, calling for investigations and pressing charges against him.

The CRJ  in the letter says Ahmednasir’s conduct is habitual and has cross the line of criminality.

“We are of the view that this pattern of conduct amounts to a crime under the laws of Kenya. We are deeply concerned that if this conduct continues, it will erode public confidence and eventually undermine the rule of law which is one of the ideals upon which out constitutional democracy is founded,” wrote Mokaya.

 Ahmednasir has been at cross roads with the Supreme Court year in, year out. During Chief Justice David Maraga’s reign, the court read a riot act after he declined to apologize following an outburst in a criminal trial where he was representing Iranian convicts who had been jailed for targeting Israeli Embassy.

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READ: Lawyers seek to strip Ahmednasir's Senior Counsel title

The warning came after Ahmednasir made inflammatory remarks about the handling of the case. He accused the court of political bias and illegitimate actions, calling the judges “headless chickens.”

 Ahmednasir’s tirade did not end with the court; he also went for Justice Maraga. The CJ emeritus sued him for defamation, and the case is before Justice Janet Mulwa and will be heard on September 18, 2025.

Unfazed by the warning, the lawyer has continued to use his social media platforms to make corruption allegations against unnamed judges. The self-proclaimed jurispesa whistleblower has his guns on the apex court.

Fast forward to last year, on January 18, Chief Justice Martha Koome led  Supreme Court issued a permanent ban on Ahmednasir from appearing before it, citing his ongoing public criticism of the court and its judges.

The seven-judge bench, led by Chief Justice Koome, Deputy CJ Philomena Mwilu, and Justices Isaac Lenaola, Smokin Wanjala, Njoki Ndung’u, Mohamed Ibrahim, and William Ouko, issued a decree barring Senior Counsel Ahmednasir from appearing before the court, both personally and through his law firm.

While imposing the permanent ban, the apex court judges stated that the Senior Counsel’s relentless attacks on the court’s integrity and impartiality were unacceptable.

This dramatic move followed years of sustained attacks by Ahmednasir against the Judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court, which he accused of corruption, incompetence, and bias.

The decision also extended to his law firm, banning not only Ahmednasir but also his employees from representing clients before the court.

The Chief Justice, alongside her colleagues, cited Ahmednasir’s persistent and scathing remarks against the Judiciary, accusing him of waging a smear campaign through social media and media outlets.

In a letter signed by the Supreme Court Registrar, Letizia Wachira, which emphasized that Ahmednasir’s actions had undermined the court’s credibility.

“In view of the foregoing, this Court decides that henceforth, you shall have no audience before this court, either by yourself or through an employee of your law firm,” the court said in a letter addressed to Ahmednasir.

“Over the years, you have relentlessly run a smear campaign against judges. You have ridiculed this court with accusations of corruption, incompetence, and outright bribery,” the letter stated.

The court formalized the ban when it decided to withdraw from hearing any case in which Ahmednasir was appearing.

 In the meantime, Justice Koome wrote to him asking him to produce graft evidence before an investigations team so that the judiciary could deal with those he alleged were taking bribes.

He dismissed the invitation, claiming that the CJ ‘ had no locus.’

ALSO READ: Supreme Court and Ahmednasir's legal battle rages: Who'll blink first?

The tweet that prompted the judiciary to seek DPP’s intervention was posted on May 15, 2025. He alleged that a Supreme Court judge had taken Sh 4 million bribe to allegedly influence a case before a Court of Appeal.

According to him, the judge had allegedly refunded Sh 3 million to an aggrieved lawyer, adding that the judge needed to pay him Sh 1.5 million for his intervention.

The letter to the DPP read that Ahmednasir was on an offensive to paint the judiciary as corrupt.

“Even if he makes these sensational claims of corruption, he has not submitted any complaint to the Judicial Service Commission. Or other law enforcement agencies for necessary action. We therefore request your to call for urgent investigations and subsequent prosecutorial action,” the letter copied to the CJ reads.

 Ahmednasir took to his X wall in protest over the letter. In the initial reaction post, the amount increased from Sh 4 million to Sh 6 million.

“ It isn't the cries of Kenyans for a corruption-free judiciary that erodes public confidence in courts. It is the incompetent and corrupt leadership of the judiciary that erodes public confidence,” he wrote.

In a subsequent tweet, he sensationally claimed that the letter was signed on behalf of Mokaya.