President William Ruto has announced that he will appoint six Court of Appeal judges who were rejected by his predecessor.
Speaking on Tuesday, September 13, during his inauguration ceremony, Ruto stated that he will appoint the six judges on Tuesday afternoon and then preside over their inauguration ceremony on Wednesday.
“To demonstrate my commitment to the independence of the judiciary, this afternoon, I will appoint the 6 judges already nominated for appointment to the court of appeal which was done 3 years ago by the Judicial Service Commission,” Ruto said.
“Tomorrow I shall preside over their swearing-in so that they can get on with the business of serving the people of Kenya,” he stated.
The six judges were left out when Uhuru appointed 34 others.
They are Aggrey Muchelule, George Odunga, Weldon Korir, and Joel Ngugi of the High Court.
The Judicial Service Commission recommended that the four be appointed to the Appellate Court.
President Kenyatta also passed over Chief Magistrate Evans Makori and High Court Registrar Judith Omange, both of whom had been recommended to be labor court judges.
The Court of Appeal temporarily suspended an order directing Uhuru to appoint six judges within two weeks in November of last year.
After Uhuru rushed to the Appellate Court, Justices Roselyn Nambuye, Wanjiru Karanja, and Imaana Laibuta granted the orders, arguing that there is an imminent danger of embarrassment and uncertainty in the administration of justice if the directive is not challenged.
