On Friday, March 21, prominent city lawyers Nelson Havi and Ahmednasir Abdullahi criticized the Dutch King’s meeting with Chief Justice Martha Koome, calling it “ill-advised, poorly timed, and a gross violation of accountability.”
The two lawyers conveyed their discontent with the meeting in a letter to Maarten Brouwer, the Dutch ambassador to Kenya. The duo noted continued problems inside the judiciary under CJ Koome’s leadership, such as charges of fraud and improper conduct among judges.
According to the two, the visit of King Willem-Alexander and his wife, Queen Máxima, amounted to an endorsement of the alleged corrupt institution.
They also stated that it defied the ideals that the Dutch government stands for. “We, the undersigned Chairman/President of the Law Society of Kenya, write to you with a heavy heart, a deep sense of betrayal, and utter disappointment to express our profound dismay and strong opposition to the decision of Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima to pay a courtesy call to Chief Justice Martha Koome during their state visit on 20 March 2025,” the letter read.
“The visit was a stab in the back of the toiling Kenyans, a betrayal of their historic quest to have a Judiciary that is free of corruption and incompetence, and a royal seal of approval that the Dutch Government stands with Kenya’s thieving and corrupt Judiciary,” it further added.
During the meeting between the two royals and CJ Koome, the latter outlined the main points of discussion. The primary issue is judicial independence and the necessity to shield courts from improper interference.
However, the two lawyers dismissed the meeting, accusing the royals of ignoring the Judiciary’s problems in favor of diplomatic courtesy and picture opportunities.
Havi recently joined a group of municipal lawyers in advocating for the resignation of Chief Justice Koome and the other Supreme Court judges.
In January 2025, filed a petition with the Judiciary Service Commission (JSC) demanding for the expulsion of all seven Supreme Court judges.
In the petition, Havi asked the JSC to order President William Ruto to convene a tribunal and begin the process of sacking the seven, accusing them of serious misconduct and misbehaviour, among other things.
Havi and his counterpart asked the Dutch ambassador to express their dissatisfaction and censure to the Dutch government and monarchy, stressing the negative consequences of the involvement with Koome.
“We urge you as the Dutch Ambassador to Kenya to convey our strong protest to your government and consider the calamitous implication of the Royal courtesy call to Chief Justice Koome,” the letter stated.
The two expressed their frustrations, claiming that the monarchs would have used the State visit to participate in other relevant engagements besides meeting Koome.
“We are of the view, that the Netherlands had a golden opportunity to use the State visit to engage meaningfully with Kenya’s civil society and other stakeholders who are fighting for a just, equitable society, and a credible Judiciary, rather than aligning with a figurehead of a compromised and discredited institution that is at the sunset of its tenure,” they expressed.
The Dutch King was in Kenya for a three-day official state visit, where he met President William Ruto and spoke with key stakeholders from various sectors of the economy.
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