What you didn't know about the seven Supreme Court Judges

Chief Justice Martha Koome (right) and her deputy Philomena Mwilu at Milimani court buildings on August 31, 2022. [Collins Kweyu, Standard] Seven Supreme Court judges on Monday, September 5 unanimously upheld William Ruto's victory in the August 9 presidential petition, saying Raila Odinga's legal team did not produce evidence to warrant nullification of the election. The judges are Martha Koome (Chief Justice), Philomena Mwilu (Deputy Chief Justice), Mohammed Ibrahim, Smokin Wanjala, Njoki Ndung'u, Isaac Lenaona and William Ouko. The seven have been the talk of the town after they thrashed all the issues that had been raised by the petitioners terming them 'hot air' and 'wild goose' chase. Below are individual profiles; Martha Koome - Chief Justice Martha Koome is the current Chief Justice and the President of the Supreme Court. Lady Justice Martha Koome became the first female Chief Justice to handle a presidential election petition when she led her seven-member bench to uphold the election of president-elect William Ruto. Born in 1960 in Meru County, Lady Justice Koome has a Master of Laws in Public International Law from the University of London (2010), a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Nairobi in 1986 and a post-graduate diploma in law from the Kenya School of Law. She was admitted to the bar as an advocate of the High Court in 1987 and started as a legal associate at Mathenge and Muchemi Advocates until 1993 when she opened her own law firm and became the managing partner until 2003. During her time as a High Court Judge between 2003 and 2011, Justice Koome served in different capacities as head of Land and Environmental Division in Nairobi, Resident Judge in Nakuru and Kitale and at the Commercial and Family Divisions in Nairobi. She was promoted to the Court of Appeal in 2012 until being elected as the CJ, head of the judiciary and president of the Supreme Court in 2021. She is the current President of the Supreme Court Appointed Chief Justice in May 2021 Admitted to roll of advocates in 1987 Holds a Bachelor's Degree in Law from the University of Nairobi Post-graduate Diploma in Law holder from the Kenya School of Law Holds a Master's Degree in Law from the University of London Council Member of the Law of Society of Kenya between 1994 and 1996 Philomena Mwilu - Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu with a Bachelor's and Master of Law degrees from the University of Nairobi is the current Deputy Chief Justice. This was the third presidential election petition being handled by the DCJ, having been in the Justice David Maraga bench that nullified the presidential election in 2017 before uphold dismissing another petition filed after the fresh presidential election. The 61-year-old mother of three was born in Makueni County and a staunch Catholic with a long career within the corridors of justice spanning 37 years. She graduated from the University of Nairobi with a Bachelors of Law Degree in 1982 and proceeded to the Kenya School of Law for diploma in law before being admitted as an Advocate of the High Court in 1984. The judge began her career as a lawyer in the law firm of Muthoga Gaturu and Company Advocates in 1984 before joining former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga in the firm of Mutunga and Company Advocates until 1991. She was appointed a High Court judge in 2007 before being promoted to the Court of Appeal and to the Supreme Court as DCJ in 2016. Over 37 years' experience in the legal profession Appointed Deputy Chief Justice in 2016 Elected by her colleague judges of the Supreme Court as a Commissioner at JSC in May 2017 Holds a Bachelor and Master of Law degrees from the University of Nairobi Justice Mohammed K. Ibrahim Justice Ibrahim Mohamed is the current Chairperson of the Judiciary Committee on Elections. Justice Ibrahim is the oldest of the seven Supreme Court Judges. He has a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi and was admitted to the Roll of Advocates in January 1983. Having participated in the 2013 presidential election where they dismissed Raila's petition that challenged the election of President Uhuru Kenyatta, Justice Ibrahim missed out on the 2017 case due to illness. He was appointed as a High Court Judge in 2003 where he served in Eldoret, Nairobi and Mombasa before being elevated to the Supreme Court in June 2011. Appointed as Judge of the Supreme Court of Kenya in 2011 Admitted to roll of advocates in 1983 Elected to LSK Council for a year in 1994 Chairperson of the Judiciary Committee on Elections in 2021 Justice Njoki Ndung'u Lady Justice Ndung'u has a Masters in Law degree in Human Rights and civil liberties and a diploma in Women's rights. Lady Justice Ndung'u has a Masters in Law degree in Human Rights and civil liberties and a diploma in Women's rights. She prides on having handled all four presidential election petitions since the creation of the Supreme Court through the 2010 Constitution. Justice Ndung'u was in the former CJ Dr Willy Mutunga's led Supreme Court in 2013 when they upheld the election of President Uhuru Kenyatta. She was also in the Justice Maraga-led court in 2017 when she dissented the decision to nullify the presidential election. She has the pride of having worked in all the three arms of government, as a State Counsel in the Office of the Attorney General, a Member of Parliament in the 9th Parliament, and now a Judge of the Supreme Court since June 2011. Holds a Master's Degree in Law (LL.M) in Human Rights and civil liberties and a Diploma in Women's Rights Architect of the Sexual Offences Act 2006 Worked as Programme Officer at the Institute for Education in Democracy and National Protection Officer at United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Sat as a member of the Committee of Experts that drafted Kenya's Constitution Awarded Kenya's UN Person of the Year in 2006 Justice Dr Smokin Wanjala Justice Smokin Wanjala with a PhD from the University of Ghent, Belgium is among the three longest-serving judges of the Supreme Court. Justice Wanjala, has a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Nairobi, Master of Laws from Columbia University, New York and a PhD from the University of Ghent, Belgium. Before his appointment to Supreme Court in June 2011, he lectured law at the University of Nairobi for 20 years (1986-2004). He served as Assistant Director of the defunct Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) from 2004 to 2009. He is among the three longest-serving judges of the Supreme Court alongside Justices Mohammed Ibrahim and Njoki Ndung'u having been appointed as the first judges of the court in 2011. He has also participated in all the four presidential election petitions since 2013. Appointed as Judge of the Supreme Court in 2011 Holds Bachelor of Laws (LLB, Hons) from the University of Nairobi Diploma in Law holder from the Kenya School of Law Holds a Master of Law (LL.M) Degree from Columbia University, New York Doctorate in Law (PhD) holder from the University of Ghent, Belgium Lecturer at the University of Nairobi between 1986 and 2004 Received the Presidential Award of the Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear (CBS) [First Class] in 2012 Justice Isaac Lenaola Justice Lenaola-54 made history in 2017 as one of the four Supreme Court Judges who nullified the presidential election results. Justice Lenaola, 54, is one of the two Judges of the Supreme Court who are still under 60 years, the other being Lady Justice Njoki Ndung'u. Before joining the Supreme Court of Kenya in 2016, Justice Lenaola was the presiding judge of the Constitution and Human Rights Division of the High Court and was deputy principal judge of the East Africa Court of Justice. The judge is an alumnus of Alliance Boys High School and was admitted to the bar as an advocate of the High Court in 1990 after his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi. He made history in 2017 as one of the four Supreme Court Judges who nullified the presidential election results. Appointed Judge of the Supreme Court in 2016 Also served as Presiding Judge of the Constitutional and Human Rights Division at the High Court in Milimani Alumni of the University of Nairobi and the Kenya School of Law Joined the judicial service in 2003 Elected President of the International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges in 2020 Justice William Ouko Justice Ouko with a Masters Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Egerton University was elected as president of the Court of Appeal in 2018. Justice Ouko is one of the longest serving judicial officers having spent his entire cumulative 34 years of legal experience in the corridors of justice and is considered an insider who has worked and seen both the bright and dark sides of the judiciary. Justice Ouko was admitted to the roll of advocates in 1987, briefly worked at Mbogholi Msagha and Company Advocates for a few months before joining the judiciary as a District Magistrate and rose through the ranks within two years to become a Deputy Registrar of the High Court in 1989. In 1997, he was promoted to judiciary's chief court administrator, a position he held until 2002 when he became the registrar of the High Court. His first breakthrough as a superior court judge came in 2004 when he was appointed by retired President Mwai Kibaki as a High Court Judge and then to the Court of Appeal in 2012. He was elected as president of the Court of Appeal in 2018 to take over from Justice Kihara Kariuki whose term had expired and was subsequently appointed to head the state law office. The judge has a Masters Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Egerton University and Bachelor of Law from the University of Nairobi Appointed Judge of the Supreme Court in 2021Until 2021, he was president of the Court of Appeal Joined the Judiciary in 1987More than 33 years' experience in legal profession. Served as joint secretary of the Goldenberg Commission of Inquiry Holds a Master of Arts degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice (MACJ) Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) holder from the University of Nairobi Diploma in Legal Practice from the Kenya School of Law

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