NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 12 — The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on Monday kicked off interviews for the recruitment of 15 Court of Appeal judges, with University of Nairobi law professor Migai Akech among the first high-profile candidates to appear before the panel.
The interviews, which begin at 9am, are being conducted amid an acute staffing crisis at the country’s second-highest court.
Prof Akech, a respected constitutional law scholar and public intellectual, is seeking to transition from academia to the appellate bench as part of a competitive process that saw thirty-five candidates shortlisted for fifteen available slots.
The recruitment drive comes at a critical moment for the Court of Appeal, which has a statutory capacity of seventy judges following amendments under the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act, 2023, but is currently operating with only twenty-seven judges.
Judiciary has blamed the shortage for straining the court, leading to delays and mounting case backlogs across stations in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nyeri, Nakuru and Eldoret.
Top legal minds
The JSC shortlisted candidates drawn from Kenya’s most senior legal ranks, including judges from the High Court and specialised superior courts, senior advocates, academics, and heads of constitutional commissions and tribunals.
Apart from Prof Akech, candidates from academia include Dr Lucy Wanja Julius and Dr Joseph Arimba Kaberia.
The shortlist also includes numerous serving judges, among them Justices Maronga Angima, Oscar Angote, Robert Limo, Lucy Mbugua, Edward Muriithi, William Musya, Francis Gikonyo, Chacha Mwita, Nduma Nderi, Linnet Mumo, Onesmus Makau, Rachel Ngetich and Lucy Njuguna.
Other notable candidates include Ahmed Issack Hassan, the former IEBC chairperson and current IPOA chair, who is making another attempt after an unsuccessful bid in 2022.
The Court of Appeal plays a central role in Kenya’s justice system, hearing appeals from the High Court and courts of equal status, and shaping binding jurisprudence on constitutional, commercial and public law disputes.
Once the interviews are concluded, the JSC will forward the names of successful candidates to the President for formal appointment, in accordance with the Constitution.
