CJ Koome Appoints 6 Magistrates for Corruption Cases, 58 Judges for Land Disputes

Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya, Martha Koome, has appointed six magistrates to preside over corruption and economic crimes cases across various court stations in the country.

In a Gazette Notice dated September 10, 2025, Koome named Maureen Iberia, Victoria Achieng Ochanda, Janette Wandia Nyamu, Wilson Kipchumba Kitur, Christabel Irene Agutu, and Japheth Cheruiyot Bii as the magistrates tasked with handling these sensitive cases. The six will oversee corruption-related matters within the jurisdictions of their current court stations and any future stations to which they may be deployed.

At the same time, the Chief Justice also appointed 58 judges to preside over disputes related to Environment and Land across different court stations in Kenya.

The appointments come at a time when Kenya continues to grapple with rising cases of land disputes and corruption. Recently, President William Ruto unveiled a multi-agency team to strengthen the country’s fight against graft.

In April, Chief Justice Koome raised concern that corruption was re-emerging within the Judiciary, warning that the trend was eroding public confidence in the justice system. She revealed that several corruption-related complaints involving judicial staff had been reported to her office and cautioned that such behaviour would not be tolerated.

“Allegations of graft in the Judiciary cannot be ignored, and we should strive to make sure that we work in a corruption-free society as the public has a lot of faith in us,” Koome said.

To address the issue, the Chief Justice announced the formation of integrity committees in all courts, bringing together officers from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), and court users.

“We have formed a court integrity committee that will have representation from different quarters, including EACC, LSK, court users, among others,” she added, noting that in some court stations, staff had been demanding facilitation fees from members of the public.