Kakai Kissinger

Last updated

Kakai Kissinger (born Kakai Francis Kissinger; July 21, 1975) is a Kenyan human rights activist and attorney. Trained in international trade law at the University of Turin, Faculty of Law, in Italy (2003), [1] he received further training in 2007 in human rights and constitutional law at Harvard Law School in the US. [2]

Kissinger was born in Kiminini within the Trans-Nzoia County in the vast Rift Valley Province of Kenya. He was named Kissinger by his mother after the former United States Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger. He is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with a specialty in international human rights and constitutional law. He has held senior positions before with the German Technical Cooperation (giz) as Senior Governance Advisor, as Executive Director of Independent Medico Legal Unit (IMLU), a leading human rights organization in Kenya.

Kissinger was schooled at Nzoia Sugar Company Primary School and Lugulu Boarding Primary School for his primary education. He then proceeded to the prestigious [[Friends' School, Kamusinga)and later Musingu High School both schools in the then Western Province for his high school education. Later on, he joined the University of Nairobi in 1995 and attained a Bachelor's degree in law (LL.B) in 1999. In 2003, he won an academic scholarship to pursue postgraduate studies in international trade law in Italy from the ITCILO, sponsored by the International Labour Organization. [3] In 2006, he was awarded a Ford Foundation Scholarship [4] to undertake studies at the prestigious Harvard University due to his engagements as a human rights activist and attorney. At the time, Kissinger was the executive director of a Kenyan non-governmental organization, Independent Medico-Legal Unit.

Kissinger is the proprietor of Kakai Mugalo & Company, and advocates in Nairobi, Kenya. He is interested in leadership in Kenya and has a close working relationship with his native rural area and constituency where he collaborates with local civil society organizations, church groups, youth groups and community-based organizations in all aspects of empowerment and development. He is a current board member of two Kenyan civil society organizations, the Independent Medico Legal Unit [5] and Empower/Wezesha. [6]

Upon the establishment of the Supreme Court of Kenya in 2011, Kakai was appointed the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Judiciary. On October 24, 2013, he was appointed Chief Registrar in an acting capacity following the removal of the then Chief Registrar, Gladys Boss Shollei. [7]

Kakai Kissinger established the Kakai Kissinger foundation, where he plans to participate in philanthropic work and concentrate more in his native constituency. Through the foundation, he intends to recognize and award academic scholarships to bright and needy students from his former school, Friends School Kamusinga.

Kakai Kissinger widely consults for the African Union as an elections consultant. He has been hired in the past to manage and coordinate election observation missions on behalf of the African Union (AU) in the 2015 Ethiopian General Elections, 2016 Zambian General Elections, 2016 Uganda General Elections, 2017 Liberia General Elections, 2018 Zimbabwe General Elections and 2019 Botswana General Elections. He is also an AU trainer for AU recruited election observers.

He has also consulted for the German Technical Cooperation (giz) on Governance issues in Hargeisa, for East Africa Community (EAC) on election related matters, and for some Kenyan Government agencies on a wide range of topics.

Kakai Kissinger has taught law at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) and at the Kenya School of Law (KSL).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amos Wako</span> Attorney General of Kenya

Amos Wako is a former Attorney General of Kenya and the first senator for Busia County from 2013 to 2017. Wako won the senatorial seat after defeating former minister of finance Chris Okemo. He won the senator seat on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) being led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friends School Kamusinga</span> National, Public School in Kimilili, Bungoma, Kenya

Friends School Kamusinga (FSK), popularly known as Kamu/Frishka, is a Kenyan Quaker national school established in 1956 and located in Kimilili, Bungoma County, Kenya. The school is located 409.9 kilometres from Kenya's capital city, Nairobi. It is annually ranked among the top schools nationwide in KCSE and has many notable alumni across business, creative arts, sports, engineering and politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Michuki</span> Kenyan politician and businessman

John Njoroge Michuki was a Kenyan politician and businessman. He was born at Muguru, village, Iyego Location, Kangema Division in Murang’a District. He was educated in Kenya and abroad. Michuki emerged as one of the prominent and long-serving civil servants and politicians as well as a businessman in Kenya. Michuki served Kenya in various capacities, including Permanent Secretary in the Finance Ministry, Chairman of the Kenya Commercial Bank, Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister. He was serving his 4th five-year term as a Member of Parliament for Kangema Constituency. Michuki had a reputation as a "ruthless" and efficient manager, and was widely acknowledged as among the best performing ministers in President Kibaki's Government. He was serving as the Minister for Environment and National Resources at the time of his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Munya</span> Kenyan politician

Peter Gatirau Munya is the immediate former Cabinet Secretary of Kenya's Ministry of Agriculture. He took over the ministry on 14 January 2020 after being transferred from the Ministry of Trade and Industrialization. He also served in the same capacity in the ministry of East African Community and Northern Corridor Development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ababu Namwamba</span> Kenyan Resident from Budalangi

Ababu NamwambaE.G.H. is a Kenyan politician and Cabinet secretary for Youth Affairs, Sports and the Arts, having been appointed by President William Ruto. He is an international lawyer trained in Nairobi and Washington, DC. Since 2016 he has been the leader of the Labour Party of Kenya. Ababu is also the immediate Former Chief Administrative Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya.

Olara A. Otunnu is a Ugandan politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He was President of the Uganda People's Congress (UPC), a political party, from 2010 to 2015 and stood as the party's candidate in the 2011 presidential election. Otunnu was Uganda's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1980 to 1985 and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1985 to 1986. Later, he was President of the International Peace Academy from 1990 to 1998, and he was an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict from 1997 to 2005.

Makau W. Mutua is a Kenyan-American professor at the SUNY Buffalo School of Law and was its dean from 2008 to 2014. He teaches international human rights, international business transactions and international law. He is vice president of the American Society of International Law and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

justice Samwel Mukira Mohochi is a Kenyan [Judge] of the [High Court] human rights activist and attorney, with extensive legal experience on human rights litigation in national courts. He is an international human rights advocate before treaty monitoring bodies and the United Nations Human Rights Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Kagwanja</span> Kenyan intellectual

Peter Kagwanja is a Kenyan intellectual, adviser, reform strategist and policy thinker on governance, security and African affairs. From the early 1990s, Kagwanja was associated with Kenya's pro-democracy movement through his research and writings in the media, and was one of the founders of the University Academic Staff Union (UASU). As an emigre in South Africa (2003-2008), he was in the team of experts that provided technical backing to the intense policy processes that led to the creation of the African Union (AU) and its peace and security architecture. When Kenya's opposition ascended to power, Kagwanja became part of the technical team that re-engineered and realigned the country's foreign policy and strategy to the challenges of the 21st century. He became government adviser on the post-2008 reform agenda and strategy; managed its successful campaign for the New Constitution of Kenya and provided strategic thinking towards the transition to the post-Kibaki order. Kagwanja is a public intellectual who has authored many articles and books, including Kenya's Uncertain Democracy: The Electoral Crisis of 2008London: Routledge (2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willy Mutunga</span> 13th Chief Justice of the Republic of Kenya

Willy Munyoki Mutunga, EGH is a Kenyan lawyer, intellectual, reform activist, and was the Commonwealth Special Envoy to the Maldives. He is also an active member of the Justice Leadership Group. He is the retired Chief Justice of Kenya and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Court (Kenya)</span> Highest court of Kenya

The High Court of Kenya is a court of unlimited original jurisdiction in criminal and civil matters established under article 165 of the constitution of Kenya as part of the Kenya Judiciary. It also has supervisory jurisdiction over all other subordinate courts and any other persons, body or authority exercising a judicial or quasi-judicial function. It was known as the Supreme Court of Kenya until 1964 and its name has remain unchanged since then.

Kipruto Rono Arap Kirwa is a Kenyan politician.

Benjamin Chesire Cheboi, EBS, is a Kenyan politician who was the first and current Governor of Baringo County. He belongs to the UDA party

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mubarak Muyika</span>

Mubarak Muyika, is a Kenyan American business executive, computer programmer and internet entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley. Orphaned at the age of 10, at age 16 Muyika founded Hype Century, a web hosting company which he sold two years later for six figures. He is the founder and CEO of Zagace, a company which runs an app store for businesses to access software for accounting, human resource management, marketing, among other uses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intersex rights in Kenya</span>

Intersex people in Kenya face significant human rights violations, starting from birth. There are few protections from mutilation and non-consensual cosmetic medical interventions and no legislative protection from discrimination. Intersex persons may have difficulties in obtaining birth certificates and others forms of documentation.

Esther Nyaiyaki, is a Kenyan lawyer who works as a Registrar in the Kenya Judiciary. She served as the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Kenya from February 2013 to December 2021 and was involved in handling the petition that led to the annulment of the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as president of Kenya, in August 2017. She serves as a Registrar in the Office of the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary from January 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidency of Daniel Moi</span> Era of Daniel Mois governance

The presidency of Daniel arap Moi began on 22 August 1978, when Daniel arap Moi was sworn in as the 2nd President of Kenya, and ended on 30 December 2002. Moi, a KANU party member, took office following the death of the then president Jomo Kenyatta on the same day. He was sworn as interim president for 90 days during which the country was to prepare for a presidential election to be held on 8 November. Moi won reelections in 1988, 1992 and 1997, defeating Mwai Kibaki in the latter two elections. He was succeeded by Mwai Kibaki in 2002. He died at the age of 95 on 4 February 2020

Gladys Jepkosgei Boss is a Kenyan politician who is currently the Deputy Speaker of the Kenya National Assembly and woman representative for Uasin Gishu County She is a member of the United Democratic Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martha Koome</span> 15th and Current Chief Justice of the Republic of Kenya

Martha Karambu Koome is a Kenyan advocate who is currently serving as the Chief Justice of Kenya, and is the first woman to occupy the post.

Anne Atieno Amadi is a Kenyan lawyer who served as the Chief Registrar of the Kenya Judiciary from 13 January 2014 to 12 January 2024.

References

  1. "Università di Torino". www.unito.it. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  2. "Harvard Law School". Harvard Law School. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  3. "International Labour Organization". www.ilo.org. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  4. "FORDIFP.NET". www.fordifp.net. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  5. "Home". www.imlu.org. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  6. "wezesha.org". www.wezesha.org. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  7. http://www.judiciary.go.ke/portal/kakai-kissinger-appointed-acting-chief-registrar-of-the-judiciary