By Andrew Kariuki

President William Ruto has formally appointed Justice Mohamed Abdullahi Warsame as a judge of the Supreme Court of Kenya, filling the vacancy left following the death of Justice Mohammed Ibrahim in December 2025.

The appointment was confirmed through a Gazette Notice dated May 5, 2026, after Justice Warsame emerged successful in the Judicial Service Commission’s recruitment process.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 166 (1) (b) of the Constitution of Kenya, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint Justice Mohamed Abdullahi Warsame to be Judge of the Supreme Court of Kenya,” the notice reads.

Justice Warsame joins the apex court after years of service in the Judiciary, having served as a judge of the Court of Appeal since 2012 following his elevation from the High Court.

He was first appointed to the High Court bench in 2003 and later served in various divisions including Commercial, Criminal and Judicial Review, handling a broad range of cases.

The newly appointed Supreme Court judge holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi and a Postgraduate Diploma from the Kenya School of Law. Before joining the bench, he practiced as an advocate of the High Court of Kenya.

During his interview before the JSC, Warsame also spoke about his future aspirations outside the Judiciary.

“If called upon by my people after retirement, I may consider serving them politically,” he said while responding to questions on whether he would consider contesting for the Mandera gubernatorial seat in future.

He, however, maintained that any future political interest would not affect his current judicial duties or independence.

“I have served under four Chief Justices without conflict because collegial courts require cooperation, consultation and institutional leadership,” Warsame told the panel during the interviews.

His appointment now increases the number of judges at the Supreme Court as the Judiciary continues efforts to strengthen the country’s judicial system.