Court of Appeal sittings resume in Kisumu, Mombasa

The Court of Appeal sittings in Kisumu and Mombasa will resume in July following changes announced by Chief Justice Martha Koome.

Sittings at the two courts were suspended in December 2019 after judges there were recalled to Nairobi following a stalemate over the appointment of 11 recommended by the Judicial Service Commission. Justice Koome said she reorganised the courts’ operations after discussions with Court of Appeal president Daniel Musinga. 

According to the CJ, the reopening of the two courts was made possible by the appointment of seven additional judges to the court. “...the two stations in Mombasa and Kisumu, which are out of the three Court of Appeal stations outside Nairobi, were closed in 2019 owing to the shortage of judges, but will now have judges sitting permanently,” said Koome.

The other one in Nyeri closed in April 2019, and won’t reopen yet due to insufficient judges, according to Judiciary.

The Court of Appeal requires a maximum of 30 judges. It has 20. President Uhuru Kenyatta declined to appoint four others nominated for the court. Those posted to Mombasa are Justices Gatembu Kairu, Pauline Nyamweya and Jessie Lesiit. Kisumu will have Justices Patrick Kiage, Mumbi Ngugi and Francis Tuiyot.

Nairobi will have Justices Musinga, Mohammed Warsame, Roselyne Nambuye, Wanjiru Karanja, Hannah Okwengu, Asike Makhandia, Kathurima M’Inoti, who will also act as Director of the Judicial Training Institute, Agnes Murgor, Fatuma Sichale, Jamila Mohammed, Sankale ole Kantai, Msagha Mbogholi, Hellen Omondi and Imana Laibuta.

Koome said the new judges would report to their new stations from July 1.