Five shortlisted for deputy CJ post

The Judicial Service Commission has shortlisted five candidates out of the 18 who had applied for the position of Deputy Chief Justice to replace Ms Nancy Baraza.

Ms Baraza, who had been accused of assaulting a security guard at the Village Market in Nairobi, left the post prematurely when she opted not to appeal the commission verdict.

The candidates set to be interviewed by the JSC between February 18 and 20 include Dr Okowa Phoebe Nyawade, a professor of law at Oxford University in the UK.

The lecturer, who resides in the UK, had applied for the position of Supreme Court judge two years ago but reportedly failed to show up for the interview.

According to JSC chairperson Christine Mango, Ms Okowa had requested the commission to foot her travel bill, but that was not in the commission’s budget of the commission.

The other candidate for the post is Court of Appeal judge Kalpana Rawal, who had also been shortlisted for the position of Chief Justice before Dr Willy Mutunga beat her to the post.

Lady Justice Rawal’s father was judge of the High Court of India while her grandfather was a law minister. She started her career as a teacher of both administration and regular police officers at Lower Kabete in 1975.

She holds Bachelor of Arts, as well as Bachelor and Master of Laws in constitutional and administrative law.

Commissioner of assize

In 1975, she was the first woman lawyer to set up private practice in Kenya, running a general practice where she remained until 1999 when she was appointed a commissioner of assize, and thereafter a judge of the High Court.

Lady Justice Rawal has presided over a large number of cases of persons charged with murder.

Also shortlisted for the DCJ post is Ms Raychelle Awuor Omamo, former ambassador of Kenya to France and the first woman lawyer to head the Law Society of Kenya in 2002.

Ms Omamo had also applied and been shortlisted for the position of chairperson of the Constitutional Implementation Commission currently headed by Mr Charles Nyachae.

Also on the list is Ms Joyce Miguda Majiwa, a former chairperson of Fida and a gender and governance expert.

Ms Majiwa, 56, was one of the nominees shortlisted to sit in the Kenya Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission in 2009.

The advocate of the High Court is also a board member of Institute for Education that conducts programmes on the electoral process, voter education and research.

Senior counsel Lucy Kambuni completes the list of those expected to fill the slot of Deputy CJ and deputy president of the Supreme Court.

Ms Kambuni, 52, was the vice chairperson of the Task Force on Devolved Governments.

She and Ms Omamo are ranked among the top 15 legal minds in the country, with Ms Kambuni ranking 13th and the latter second.