High Court judge Isaac Lenaola has been nominated for the position of Supreme Court judge.
If appointed, he will replace retired Justice Philip Tunoi. The Judicial Service Commission settled on him after interviewing 21 applicants. Lenaola has been the head of the Human Rights Division at the High Court in Milimani, Nairobi.
“After deliberations, JSC recommended Lenaola for the appointment as judge of the Supreme Court and has submitted his name to the President,” JSC chairperson Margaret Kobia said yesterday in a statement.
President Uhuru Kenyatta will forward his name to the National Assembly for vetting, before he is appointed. The Supreme Court had been paralysed because it lacked a quorum to handle cases after three judges retired.
During the interview, Lenaola said with his experience at the East African Court, he will bring back the glory of the apex court. “The Supreme Court should be held in high regard. When the apex court speaks, Kenyans should listen,” he said.
Lenaola said the court needs a trustworthy person. He said his integrity and mastery of the law will greatly help. He said his deep analytical mind and youthfulness will benefit the court. “I will be grateful to serve the court at this young age, as I will be able to pass my knowledge to younger generations,” Lenaola said.
The judge said the court needs to invest in information technology to succeed. Lenaola said IT can speed up processes and help resolve problems such as corruption and case backlogs.
He is also the deputy principal judge of the East Africa Court of Justice and a judge at the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone. He was appointed in the Sierra Leone court by the United Nations.