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Omwanza replaces Macharia Njeru whose term has expired as the Law Society of Kenya's representative in the Commission.
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His appointment is contained in Gazette notice no. 5164 dated May 2.
Image: COURTESY
President William Ruto has appointed lawyer Omwanza Ombati as a Judicial Service Commission (JSC) member.
Omwanza replaces Macharia Njeru whose term has expired as the Law Society of Kenya's representative in the Commission.
His appointment is contained in Gazette notice no. 5164 dated May 2.
It follows his victory in the LSK election conducted on February 29. He is set to serve for a five-year term effective May 13.
"In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 250 (2) (C) as read with Article 171 (2) (f) of the Constitution of Kenya, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint Samson Omwanza Ombati to be a member of the Judicial Service Commission, for a period of five years," the notice reads.
LSK has two slots in JSC assigned equally based on gender.
The other member of the commission is Jacqueline Ingutiah.
In his message, Omwanza thanked the entire legal fraternity and the LSK for the honor bestowed upon him to sit in the commission.
“Be blessed to you all. I shall serve you faithfully, honestly and diligently,” he wrote.
During the LSK polls, Omwanza defeated former society's president Eric Theuri garnering 3,357 votes against 3,292 votes.
Others who were in the race were Ishmael Nyaribo and Professor Mwabile.
JSC is a key decision-making organ in the country's Judiciary.
It is established under the Constitution to among other things hire and consider petitions for removal of judges from office.
It has 11 members including the Chief Justice who is the chairperson.
Others are the Attorney General, one person nominated by the Public Service Commission, one Supreme Court judge, one Court of Appeal judge and one High Court judge and one Magistrate.
There are also two members (a man and a woman) not lawyers to represent the public who are appointed by the President with the approval of the National Assembly.
Omwanza, 44, has been in the profession for 18 years now.
He has a 2002 LLB from Moi University and a 2014 LLM from Cambridge University in the UK.