Ruto Appoints Former ICC Lawyer Katwa Kigen to Court of Appeal Bench

By Our Correspondent

President William Ruto has appointed his former International Criminal Court lawyer, Katwa Kigen, as one of 15 new judges of the Court of Appeal.

The appointments were confirmed in a Gazette notice published on Tuesday, January 27, under Article 166(1)(b) of the Constitution.

Kigen, whose full name is Joseph Kipchumba Kigen Katwa, was part of Ruto’s winning defence team during his ICC case at The Hague.

The Gazette notice lists the other appointees as Hedwig Imbosa Ong’udi, Mathews Nduma Nderi, Linnet Mumo Ndolo, Enock Chacha Mwita, Lucy Mwihaki Njuguna, Samson Odhiambo Okongo and Rachel Chepkoech Ngetich.

Also appointed are Stephen Andersen Radido Okiyo, Brown Murungi Kairaria, outgoing Independent Policing Oversight Authority chairperson Ahmed Issack Hassan, Paul Lilan, Munyao Sila, Johnson Okoth Okello and Byram Ongaya.

The appointments follow interviews and vetting conducted by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), which announced on January 22 that it had concluded the recruitment process and would forward the names to the President.

The JSC said the process included public advertisement of vacancies, public participation, live interviews and vetting in line with the Constitution and the Judicial Service Act.

The Commission said it applied principles of merit, integrity, fairness, gender balance, inclusivity and regional representation in selecting the candidates.

With the new appointments, the number of judges at the Court of Appeal increases from 27 to 42.

The JSC said the expanded bench is expected to help reduce the backlog of appeals and improve the speed of case determination at the country’s second-highest court.