Just hours after he was sworn-in as Kenya’s fifth President, William Ruto on Tuesday, September 13 went on to fulfil his promises by signing two gazette notices appointing four Courts of Appeal and two Environment and Land Court Judges.
The move comes after former president Uhuru Kenyatta refused to appoint judges citing that they had “failed to meet the required threshold.”
Kenyans.co.ke looks at how the six judges defied odds and rose through the ranks in their professional careers
George Odunga
Justice Odunga obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Nairobi and was admitted to the bar as an advocate for the high court of Kenya in 1992.
He started off his career at Beham & Okero Advocates, a private firm in 1993.
He is an award winning High Court judge who has made a name for his efficiency and ‘bold’ rulings.
For instance in 2018, he was awarded the Jurist of the Year Award by the International Commission of Justice (ICJ) after he ruled on the Miguna Miguna deportation case.
He joined the Judiciary in 2011 and was posted to the Commercial, Civil and Judicial review divisions of the high court in Milimani. His court was recognized as best performing , most efficient and fast in hearing and determining cases.
He has also presided over some high profile cases, including those challenging the constitutionality of executive actions, which made him one of the most visible judges at Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi.
However he was transferred in 2018 to Machakos to serve as the Presiding Judge, swapping places with Justice Pauline Nyamweya who was moved to Nairobi.
He was also among the five high court judges who stopped the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) terming it unconstitutional, null and void.
Joel Ngugi
He obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi in 1996 then proceeded to the Kenya School of Law in 1997 for a Post graduate Diploma in Law. He then proceeded to Harvard University where he obtained an LLM. In 1999 and an S.J.D in 2002.
Before joining the Judiciary, he was based at the University of Washington (Seattle, Washington), where he was a lecturer of law since 2004.
He also practiced at the Boston law firm of Foley Hoag, LLP, as a corporate and international litigation associate.
According to his profile on The Animal law Conference, Ngugi was appointed a Judge of the High Court of Kenya in September 2011 and initially stationed at the High Court in Machakos.
In June 2012, the chief justice appointed him to head the Judiciary Transformation Secretariat which is responsible for implementing the Judiciary Transformation Framework 2012-2016.
Evans Makori
He graduated from the University of Nairobi with a Bachelor of Law.
He started out as a district magistrate in 1997 and rose to a Chief Magistrate in 2004
He has served as a Deputy Chief registrar of the Judiciary for two years at the Environment and Land Court in Milimani, Nairobi.
Elizabeth Omange
She is a law graduate from the University of Nairobi with training on Judicial Administration, Case Management, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Juvenile Delinquent Treatment Course in UNAFEI, Japan.
She started in 2002 as a senior resident magistrate.
Prior to her appointment as Registrar; Judith served as a Deputy Registrar in the Family Division and magistrate in the Nairobi Children’s Court where she oversaw the implementation of the Children Act.
She has served at various levels and has been the High Court registrar for the Environment and Lands Court since 2012
As the Registrar of the High Court, Judith is responsible for the day to day administration of 39 High Court stations
Aggrey Muchelule
He rose through the ranks from a district magistrate in 1982. He is a former member of the Judicial Service Commission - JSC.
The Judge has been previously implicated in corruption allegations forcing the Directorate of Criminal investigation (DCI) detectives to search his chambers where US dollars were found leading to his arrest.
Weldon Korir
He rose from being an assistant administrator in 1991 to a High Court Judge in 2000.
In 2019, the then Chief Justice Maraga named Justice Weldon Korir Presiding Judge of the Constitutional and Human Rights Division of the High Court in Milimani..
Prior to President Ruto's appointment on Tuesday, he was the presiding judge at the Kabarnet and Kapenguria High Court.
