Maina Kiai is among the country's top legal minds who have contributed to electoral reforms.
In 2017, Kiai moved to the Court of Appeal, seeking to reform the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
A verdict delivered by a five-judge bench comprising Justices William Ouko, Asike-Makhandia, Patrick Kiage, Kathurima M'Inoti and Agnes Murgor declared that the IEBC chairperson could not alter any results as he did not have the powers to do so.
In the case referenced in the annulment of President Uhuru Kenyatta's win in 2017 and also cited in the 2022 Presidential petition, the court ruled that results announced at the polling stations are final.
Kiai's Career
Trained at Nairobi School of Law and Harvard University, Kiai spent over 20 years campaigning for Kenya's human rights and constitutional reforms.
He first made international headlines after being appointed the United Nations Special Rapporteur. From May 1, 2011, to April 2017, Kiai championed peaceful assembly and association.
Before landing the UN job, Kiai served as the Chairperson of Kenya's National Human Rights Commission. Between 2003 and 2008, he gained fame and a reputation for staging legal battles against graft in the country.
He was among the activists who held the government accountable following the skirmishes that convulsed the country in 2007.
In July 2010, he landed another job at the International Council on Human Right Policy as an Executive Director. The firm was based in the Netherlands tasked him with producing research, briefing reports and policy recommendations informing international decisions.
"Kiai was also the Director of Amnesty International's Africa Programme (1999-2001), and the Africa Director of the International Human Rights Law Group (now Global Rights, 2001-2003)," United Nations described him during his appointment.
"He has held research fellowships at the Danish Institute for Human Rights in Copenhagen, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, and the TransAfrica Forum in Washington," the global body added.
In 2020, Kiai joined Meta's Executive Board.
Awards
In 2014, Freedom House awarded him its Freedom Award in honour of his constitutional reforms in the country.
UN also awarded Kiai Leo Nevas Award for his work as Special Rapporteur in October 2016. The award recognizes individuals who have served as change agents in advancing international human rights.
In December 2016, Kiai bagged AFL-CIO’s George Meany-Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award.
