The Judicial Service Commission will start interviewing candidates for appointment to the Court of Appeal on January 12, 2026, as part of efforts to fill vacant positions in the country’s second-highest court.
The Commission said the exercise targets 15 vacant slots and will involve 35 shortlisted candidates drawn from both the Bench and the Bar. According to the JSC, the interviews will be conducted openly and streamed live on YouTube and Facebook to allow public access and oversight of the recruitment process.
Among those shortlisted are well-known figures in the legal sector, including Independent Policing Oversight Authority chairperson Ahmed Isaack Hassan, High Court judge Chacha Mwita and senior advocate Katwa Kigen.
Also listed are Environment and Land Court Presiding Judge Oscar Angote and High Court judges Joseph Sergon, Yuvinalis Angima, Hedwig Ong’udi, Onesmus Makau, Nduma Nderi, Samson Okongo and Edward Muriithi.
The interview sessions will begin on January 12, with Professor Migai Akech scheduled as the first candidate, based on the official timetable released by the Commission.
Out of the 35 shortlisted individuals, 19 are serving High Court judges, while 15 are advocates drawn from private practice and academia. The candidates were selected from 95 applications submitted by the July 7, 2025 deadline, following the advertisement of the Court of Appeal vacancies in June last year.
The Court of Appeal recruitment forms part of a broader hiring exercise within the Judiciary. Other positions under recruitment include 20 High Court judges, 10 judges of the Environment and Land Court, 100 Resident Magistrates and five Kadhis.
Chief Justice Martha Koome, who chairs the Judicial Service Commission, said the Commission received a total of 2,679 applications for all advertised positions by the close of the application period.
According to figures released by the JSC, the Court of Appeal posts attracted 94 applications, while 242 candidates applied for positions at the Environment and Land Court. The highest number of applications was recorded for Resident Magistrate posts at 1,714, followed by 376 applicants for High Court judge positions and 253 for Kadhis.
The ongoing recruitment follows the lifting of a suspension on judicial appointments that had been imposed in January 2025 after budget cuts by the National Treasury reduced funding to the Judiciary, affecting staffing and operations.
The Commission said the hiring exercise is meant to address staff shortages and ease pressure on the courts, especially at the appellate level where case backlogs remain a challenge.
The recruitment process is guided by Article 172 of the Constitution, which mandates the JSC to promote the independence and accountability of the Judiciary and ensure effective, efficient and transparent administration of justice.
Successful candidates will be forwarded to the President for formal appointment after the conclusion of the interviews.
The JSC said the process aims to ensure that only qualified, ethical and capable candidates are appointed to the superior courts in line with constitutional and legal standards.
