President Uhuru Kenyatta has appointed Magistrate Everlyne Olwande to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to pave way for the search for former Chief Justice David Maraga's replacement.
Olwande’s appointment on January 19 was formally confirmed after she was elected to represent fellow magistrates at the JSC which is mandated to recruit the next chief justice
Now fully constituted, the JSC can begin considering applications for Maraga’s replacement after acting Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu gazetted the vacancy.
Olwande joins Mwilu, Court of Appeal Judges representative Mohamed Warsame, Olive Mugenda, Patrick Gichohi, former CS Felix Koskei and Law Society of Kenya representative Macharia Njeru.
The JSC is expected to consider applications from judicial officers seeking to become the next chief justice, conduct interviews and nominate qualified applicants to the president for appointment.
Evelyne, who is stationed at Limuru Law Courts was promoted from a principal magistrate to a chief magistrate in 2020.
Olwande is the vice president of the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA).
She is also a member of the International Commission of Jurists and the International Association of Women Judges-Kenya.
“I am an independent and open-minded person with a passion for the institution of the Judiciary, those who serve it and the services it provides to the people of Kenya,” she said during a 2020 interview with journalists.
Evelyne had a brief run-in with security agencies in April 2020 when she was booked at Embakasi Police Station in connection to contravening Covid-19 safety regulations.
After being released on cash bail she was to appear in court on April 14 but she was never arraigned in court as expected.
"This was an unfortunate misrepresentation of facts. The truth of the matter is that I did not break any law and that is why the DPP did not prefer any charges against me," Olwande told journalists after the incident.
