Kenyan court backs Kiswahili translator in landmark case for businessman Enock Aura
via Tuko4 min read
A Nairobi businessman, Enock Aura, has secured a legal win in his petition to compel the judiciary to conduct court proceedings in Kiswahili. The constitutional court confirmed that a translator will be available during court proceedings in this case. Aura, through lawyer Harrison Kinyanjui, sued Chief Justice Martha Koome and Attorney General Dorcas Oduor for allegedly failing to ensure courts use Kiswahili, despite its constitutional status as a national and official language. The petition, which is the first in judicial history to be fully drafted in Kiswahili, has garnered significant interest. Lawyer Kinyanjui made his submissions in Kiswahili and requested a court translator, arguing that respondents were unable to express themselves fluently in the language, and that a translator is necessary to uphold the petitioner's right to a fair hearing. Aura's amended petition also proposes that no advocate should receive a practicing certificate without three Continuous Legal Education points in Kiswahili training and seeks to compel advocates to undertake continuous legal education in Kiswahili. Additionally, Aura challenges the judiciary's move to online court proceedings, arguing that electronic platforms are foreign-owned and controlled, constituting digital neocolonialism. He seeks a declaration that online court rules are unconstitutional, as they were introduced unilaterally without public consultation. Aura wants all cases to default to open court proceedings unless a p
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