Uhuru approves appointment of 11 High Court judges
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday approved the appointment of 11 new judges to serve at the High Court. The newly appointed judges are part of a group of 25 lawyers who had been recommended for appointment by the Judicial Service Commission. PHOTO/EVANS HABIL
What you need to know:
- The 11 are part of the 25 names forwarded by JSC in January 2014 to the President for his approval and have been pending since then.
- The delayed approval of the nominees had caused dilemma as they could not neither practice as lawyers nor preside over court cases as judges.
- Early June, the first inquiry into the delay was made by an opposition Member of Parliament who demanded an explanation from the President on ‘his apparent refusal to appoint 25 judges’.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has Friday finally approved the appointment of 11 lawyers nominated to become High Court judges by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
The 11 are part of the 25 names forwarded by JSC in January 2014 to the President for his approval and have been pending since then.
In a statement to newsrooms, PSCU said that the appointments will take effect from July 1, 2014.
“The process of appointing the remaining 14 is still ongoing and the President will give his approval or disapproval once it comes to an end,” the statement read.
The 11 who have been appointed include Justus Momanyi Bwonwong’a, Joseph Louis Omondi Onguto, Roselyne Ekirapa Aburill, Enock Chacha Mwita and Robert Kipkoech Limo.
Others in the list are Charles Kariuki Mutungi, Anthony Charo Mrima, Janet Nzilani Mulwa, Crispin Beda Nagillah, Farah Amin Shaikh Mohamed and Margaret Waringa Muigai.
The delayed approval of the nominees had caused dilemma as they could not neither practice as lawyers nor preside over court cases as judges.
Law Society of Kenya chairman Mr Eric Mutua had earlier called on President Kenyatta to appoint the lawyers adding that they had been put in an awkward position by the delay.
Early June, the first inquiry into the delay was made by an opposition Member of Parliament who demanded an explanation from the President on ‘his apparent refusal to appoint 25 judges’.
Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma’s request had been approved by the house speaker.
He had sought explanation as to why the appointment of the judges nominated by JSC in January had not been done.
