RUNDOWN
• President Ruto has appointed 20 High Court judges.
• Seven magistrates are among those who have been elevated to the judgeship.
• This appointment will now direct impact of the country’s public wage bill.
President William Ruto has appointed 20 High Court judges nominated by the Judicial Service Commission last week.
The appointment announced through a gazette notice dated December 5, 2022, paves way for their swearing in and subsequent posting to work stations.
Seven magistrates are among those who have been elevated to the judgeship who include; Milimani Anti-Corruption court chief magistrate Lawrence Mugambi, Gichohi Patricia Njeri, Kavedza Diana Rachael, Nyaga Heston Mbogo, Mulwa Peter Mutua, Macharia Florence Wangari and Odera Teresa Achieng. The gazetted list has eight women and 12 men.
The appointment now pushes the number of the judges to 102 from the current number of 82 judges against a statutory establishment of 200 judges. The appointees are drawn from the Judiciary, legal practice and academia.
Others in the list include Mongare Josphine ,Patricia Mande, Chirchir Sophie Chebet, Prof Nixon Wanyama, Shariff Saida, John Mugwimi and Mutai Gregory. Wananda John Robert Anuro, Samwel Mukira, Olel Rayola, Ochieng Odhiambo, Dr Freda, Mugambi, Magare Dennis and Visram Alnashir.
The 102 came from the list of 104 people including magistrates, lawyers and academics who had been shortlisted to fill the 20 vacancies advertised on March 24, 2022. The 104 candidates were shortlisted from a pool of 266 applicants.
Other people who were interviewed for the positions but missed the jobs include two senior prosecutors – Dorcas Oduor (Secretary, Public Prosecutions and the Principal Deputy to the Director of Public Prosecutions) and Alexander Muteti (senior assistant DPP).
Ms Odour, who is also Head of Economic, International and Emerging Crimes at the Office of the DPP, had also in July been interviewed by JSC for the position of the Appeal court judge but she was not hired, lawyer Ng’ania Melissa together with magistrates Douglas Ogoti and Elizabeth Juma from the anti-corruption court and Wendy Kagendo and Francis Andayi from the criminal division, lastly was some magistrates who were aiming promotion but still missed like Derrick Kuto, who is the president of the Kenya magistrates and judges association (KMJA).
This appointment will now direct impact of the country’s public wage bill as it will rise by at least Sh240 million annually. A High Court judge earns a maximum of Sh1,000,974 monthly plus other duty allowances and benefits such as official transport (a government car, driver and security detail).
By Jane Kibathi.
