It seems Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has his legal needs covered if a team of lawyers he has surrounded himself with is anything to go by.
In an earlier report by Kenyans.co.ke, we profiled one of his lawyers, Cecil Miller who is representing the flamboyant governor in a case against the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, who happens to be the son of former Chief Justice Cecil G. Miller Senior.
According to a bio on Miller Jnr's website, his father, who is originally from Guyana, entered into the country's legal ranks in a rather privileged manner.
He first made history by becoming the first black judge at the High Court and came to Kenya through an invite from the founding President Jomo Kenyatta.
"The first black judge of the High Court of Kenya, Cecil Henry Ethelwood Miller, arrived in Kenya in 1964 a year after the nation’s independence. The native of Guyana came to the country at the invitation of Kenya’s first Prime Minister Mzee Jomo.
"Cecil H.E. Miller was born in 1916 in George Town, capital of then Guyana, which was later renamed British West Indies - now known as Guyana," noted a profile of the former lawyer from the website.
Jomo had met Miller in 1940 when he was still a law student in London before he invited him to serve as a judge at the High Court after noting that there were no qualified African or black judges to serve at the judiciary at that time.
Impressed by his work, the former president then awarded him with the Elder of the Burning Spear (EBS) honour in 1970.
He diligently rose through the ranks and was appointed as a judge of the Court of Appeal by Kenya’s second President Daniel arap Moi in 1978.
His meteoric rise continued when Moi elevated him to become the chairman of the Law Reform Commission whose duty was to review the country’s laws.
His work continued to grow and in 1986, he eventually became Chief Justice and was accorded the award of Elder of the Golden Heart (EGH).
During his tenure, he often called out a section of the Judiciary over dishonesty and "was distressed and ashamed of fraudulent dealings and stealing of clients’ money by lawyers."
He passed away in 1989 while still in office after a short illness.
Before joining the legal profession, Miller had also served as a fighter pilot with the British Royal Air Force, during World War II.
