NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 27 — President William Ruto has appointed 15 judges to the Court of Appeal following nominations by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on Thursday, January 22.
The JSC listed the nominees after concluding public interviews aimed at easing an acute staffing crisis in the country’s second-highest court.
Among those appointed are Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) Chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan, senior counsel Katwa Kigen, and High Court judges Enock Chacha Mwita, Hedwig Ong’udi and Mathews Nduma Nderi.
Also appointed are Linnet Mumo Ndolo, Lucy Mwihaki Njuguna, Rachel Chepkoech Ngetich, Samson Odhiambo Okongo, Stephen Radido Okiyo, Brown Murungi Kairaria, Paul Lilan, Munyao Sila, Johnson Okoth Okello and Byram Ongaya.
President Ruto formalised the appointments through a Gazette Notice dated January 27, in exercise of his powers under Article 166(1)(b) of the Constitution.
The new judges were drawn from a pool of thirty-five shortlisted candidates who were interviewed earlier this month in sessions that were broadcast live by the JSC as part of its transparency policy.
The recruitment drive was launched to address a shortage of judges at the Court of Appeal, which has been operating with only twenty-seven judges against a statutory capacity of seventy following amendments introduced under the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act, 2023.
Collegiate bench court
The shortage has strained the court, contributing to mounting backlogs and delays in the determination of appeals across stations in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nyeri, Nakuru and Eldoret.
Chief Justice and JSC Chairperson Martha Koome said the selection was guided by constitutional principles of merit, integrity, fairness, gender parity, inclusivity and regional balance.
“Candidates were evaluated on professional competence, written and oral communication skills, integrity, fairness, good judgement, legal and life experience, and a demonstrable commitment to public service, the rule of law and constitutionalism,” Koome said when she published the list of nominated candidates.
She noted that the appointments will increase the size of the Court of Appeal from twenty-seven to forty-two judges, significantly boosting its capacity.
“This will strengthen the Court’s ability to address the existing backlog of cases and enhance access to justice through the timely hearing and determination of appeals,” Koome said.
The Court of Appeal is Kenya’s second-highest court and sits as a collegiate bench of an uneven number of judges, starting from three, hearing appeals from the High Court and courts of equal status and shaping binding jurisprudence on constitutional, commercial and public law disputes.
