There are various levels of judiciary in England and Wales—different types of courts have different styles of judges. They also form a strict hierarchy of importance,in line with the order of the courts in which they sit,so that judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales are given more weight than district judges sitting in county courts and magistrates' courts. On 1 April 2020 there were 3,174 judges in post in England and Wales. Some judges with United Kingdom-wide jurisdiction also sit in England and Wales,particularly Justices of the United Kingdom Supreme Court and members of the tribunals judiciary.
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.
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,2010 as part of the Kenyan 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. Its name has remain unchanged since then.
The Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board is a board established by the Government of Kenya as a result of the Vetting of Judges and Magistrates Act,2011,which was passed by parliament to create the necessary institutional framework and guidelines for the vetting of judges and magistrates.
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) of Kenya is an independent Commission established under Article 171 of the Constitution of Kenya. Its mandate as stipulated in Article 172 of the Constitution is to promote and facilitate the independence and accountability of the Judiciary and the efficient,effective and transparent administration of justice. The commission has 11 members with the initial team appointed in December 2010.
Dr. Nancy Makokha Baraza is a former Kenyan judge. She was the first Deputy Chief Justice of Kenya and a member of Kenya's first supreme court after the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution. She served in the court from June 2011 to her suspension in January 2012 and resigned on 18 October 2012. She was appointed to the Kenya Law Reform Commission in 2008 for a term of three years,serving as a vice chairperson until her appointment as deputy CJ. In early 2010,she was elected chairperson of the Media Council of Kenya’s Ethics and Complaints Commission.
The Baraza-Kerubo Village Market incident refers to an incident between the then Kenyan Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Makokha Baraza and Rebecca Kerubo who worked as a guard at the Village Market shopping mall in Nairobi. The incident led to the suspension and subsequent resignation of the Deputy Chief justice after less than one year in office. The village market saga was condemned by many and termed unethical after Nancy Baraza withdrew a gun on the female guard.
The Supreme Court of Kenya is the highest court in Kenya. It is established under Article 163 of the Kenyan Constitution. As the highest court in the nation,its decisions are binding and set precedent on all other courts in the country.
The Court of Appeal of Kenya is established under Article 164 of the constitution of Kenya and consists of a number of judges,being not fewer than twelve.
The chief justice of Kenya is a public office in the Republic of Kenya established under Article 161 of the country's Constitution as the head of the Judiciary of Kenya. Under Article 163,the chief justice also serves as the president of the Supreme Court of Kenya. The chief justice is assisted by the deputy chief justice,who also serves as the deputy president of the Supreme Court.
The Deputy Chief Justice of Kenya is the deputy to the Chief Justice of Kenya and Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Kenya. The office is established under Article 163 of the Kenyan Constitution. The current Deputy Chief Justice is Lady Justice Philomena Mwilu. The office remained vacant from October 12,2012 following the resignation of Nancy Makokha Baraza Court of Appeal Judge Kalpana Rawal was nominated by the JSC to fill the position. Judge Kalpana Rawal was the retired by the Supreme Court of Kenya after a case on retirement age was dismissed at the Supreme Court of Kenya on 14 June 2016.
Jackton Boma Ojwang is a Kenyan lawyer and a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Kenya. Upon retiring from the Supreme Court,President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed him as chairperson of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).
Njoki Susanna Ndung'u is a Kenyan lawyer and a justice of the Supreme Court of Kenya. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from University of Nairobi and a Master of Laws (LLM) in human rights and civil liberties from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. She was born in 1966.
The Judiciary of Kenya is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in Kenya. After the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya in 2010,the general public,through parliament,sought to reform the judiciary. Parliament passed the Magistrates and Judges Vetting Act of 2011. A major part of reforming the judiciary was the vetting of Magistrates and Judges in an attempt to weed out unsuitable ones. The Judicature Act has also been amended to raise the minimum number of Magistrates and Judges allowing more judicial officers to be hired. More magistrates and judges are needed to clear the backlog of cases that have caused great delay in the conclusion of cases and to staff new courts. New courts are needed to bring the courts closer to the people which is in line with devolution,a major principle written into the Constitution of 2010. New courts like the High Court opened in Garissa in November 2014 is a good example. In the past residents of North Eastern Kenya had to go all the way to Embu to access a High Court.
Kalpana Hasmukhrai Rawal is a Kenyan-Asian lawyer and the former Deputy Chief Justice and Vice President of the Supreme Court of Kenya. She was sworn in on June 3,2013 as the Deputy Chief Justice of Kenya in a ceremony presided over by the President of Kenya and the Chief Justice. After a protracted case on the question of the retirement age of Judges who were appointed under the old Constitution of Kenya,the Supreme Court delivered a Ruling which effectively set the retirement age at 70 years,sending the Deputy Chief Justice and one other Supreme Court Judge who had reached 70 on retirement.
David Kenani Maraga is a Kenyan lawyer and jurist. He was the 14th Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya from October 2016 until his retirement in January 2021.
Isaac Lenaola is a Kenyan lawyer and judge,who has served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Kenya,since 28 October 2016.
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.
Justice William Ouko is a Kenyan lawyer and Judge with a wealth of experience in judicial and administrative service spanning over 34 years. He is currently serving as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Kenya. He was nominated by the Judicial Service Commission for the seat of a Judge of the Supreme Court on 5 May 2021. On 14 May 2021,he was appointed to the position by the President of the Republic of Kenya H.E Uhuru Kenyatta,CGH and was subsequently sworn in on 21 May 2021. He served as the President of the Court of Appeal of Kenya prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court,a position to which he was elected on 9 March 2018.
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.
