President Uhuru Kenyatta has appointed Court of Appeal Judge William Ouko to the Supreme Court following his nomination by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on May 5.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 166 (1) (b) of the Constitution, I, Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint — Ouko William Okello to be a Judge of the Supreme Court of Kenya,” a gazette notice dated May 11 reads.
The appointment paves way for Ouko’s swearing-in as Judge of the apex court.
Ouko, who has been the President of the Appellate Court since 2018, will replace Justice Jackton Ojwang who retired in February last year.
Supreme Court Judge Interviews
Other candidates interviewed for the position of Supreme Court Judge are Justice Said Juma Chitembwe, Justice Marete Njagi, Justice Matthews Nduma, lawyer Alice Yano, Justice Sergon Joseph Kiplagat and Dr. Nyaberi Lumumba.
Read: “Judiciary Will Not Be A Scapegoat For Corruption Cases, Police Should Up Their Game,” Justice Ouko
Ouko, who boasts of 34 years of experience in the legal profession, was among 10 candidates shortlisted for the position of Chief Justice in interviews that were conducted between April 12 – 23, 2021.
He lost to Justice Martha Koome, also from the Court of Appeal.
While being interviewed for the position of Supreme Court Judge, Ouko noted that funding at the Judiciary was to blame for delayed justice dispensation in Kenya.
Read Also: JSC Nominates William Ouko as Supreme Court Judge
Justice Ouko said the Judiciary should be among the recipients of adequate budgetary allocation in each financial year.
He told JSC commissioners that if appointed to the Apex court he would lobby for cases to be heard in shorter durations.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@kahawatungu.com or WhatsApp +254707482874. You can also find us on Telegram through www.t.me/kahawatungu
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
