Dr William Samoei Ruto was declared the winner of the August 9, 2022, General Election and will be the president-elect until his swearing-in on August 30 or September 13 depending on the outcome of a challenge by the Azimio La Umoja – One Kenya Alliance at the Supreme Court.
The coalition led by former Prime Minister and ODM Leader Raila Odinga challenged Ruto’s win and are preparing a suit that will be filed at the Apex court on Monday, August 22.
As Azimio moves to court, the Kenya Kwanza Alliance led by the President-Elect is expected to put together a team of lawyers to defend their win at the Supreme Court. Some of these lawyers are leaders within the coalition, others friends and former associates of the party leadership, while others were put together as part of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) legal defence counsel in December 2021.
In this article, WoK looks at some of the lawyers who will defend the faction at the apex court.
Nelson Havi
The former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) president is among the top legal minds in the country.
Havi is a member of UDA Party and the Kenya Kwanza Alliance. He contested the Westlands parliamentary seat in the just concluded general polls on a UDA ticket but lost to the incumbent, Hon. Tim Wanyonyi.
In December 2021, Havi pioneered the formation of the UDA Lawyers Brigade that would oversee the party’s legal matters. The caucus is comprised of over 50 lawyers.
“Today we launched UDA Lawyers Brigade. This team of Lawyers who are members of UDA will be in charge of all legal matters, under the leadership of UDA’s Secretary of Legal Affairs, Edward Muriu. We encourage other professionals to join us in forming the Hustlers’ Government.
“Pioneers of UDA Lawyers Brigade are 50 lawyers under the Chairmanship of Georgiadis Majimbo. More like-minded Lawyers are encouraged to join the Legal Department of the fast-growing movement towards the formation of the Hustlers’ Government,” Havi said during the unveiling on December 20, 2021.
Havi holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi and a diploma of Law from the Kenya School of Law. He boasts an illustrious career in law having been thrust into the public limelight in 2007 after he successfully prosecuted election petition against then Party of National Unity (PNU) Chief Whip the late George THUO. This was a landmark decision, the second that nullified elections of an elected Member of Parliament.
He was elected LSK president in February 2020 and served till the end of his two-year term in 2020.
Abraham Korir Sing’oei
Dr Sing’oei is the Legal Advisor at the Executive Office of the Deputy President and now president-elect, where he is also the Head of Law and Policy, and Convenor of the Open Government Partnership in Kenya.
He is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and is a senior partner at Sing’oei, Murkomen and Sigei (SMS) Advocates. He is a renowned human rights lawyer with vast experience in the field, having handled assignments both locally and internationally.
He is the head of legal affairs at Dr Ruto’s office and remains relatively unknown to many despite an illustrious career.
Dr. Sing’oei holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi, a diploma in law from the Kenya School of Law, a Master of Laws in Comparative Human Rights Systems from the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and a Master of Laws in International Law and Economics from the University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis MN, USA. He also attended the Tilburg Law School in the Netherlands.
The renowned lawyer is also the Executive Director of the Centre for Minority Rights Development (Cemiride), a non-profit organization that seeks the legal and political recognition of minorities and indigenous communities in Kenya and Greater Africa through strategic litigation, research, and frontline advocacy.
Professor Kithure Kindiki
Professor Kindiki is the outgoing Tharaka Nithi senator and chief agent of Dr. Ruto’s presidential campaign in the just concluded August 9 General Elections. He has served as an advocate of the High Court since 2001.
He holds a Bachelor of Law degree from Moi University and a Master of Law in International Human Rights Law and Democracy from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. He also holds a PhD in International law from the University of Pretoria.
Throughout his illustrious career, Kindiki has served in various positions both in Kenya and abroad. He has taught Public International Law, Humanitarian Law, Human Rights Law and International Dispute Resolution Law at the University of Nairobi and Moi University.
He has served as a Resettlement Consultant/ Legal Unit, Division of International Protection, UNHCR, Pretoria. In this position, he provided legal protection to refugees and those seeking asylum in South Africa. He gave them advice on both their national and international rights and recommended lasting solutions on a case-by-case basis.
Following the 2007-2008 post-election violence, Prof. Kindiki was Ruto’s first defence counsel after he was charged at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Hague.
Katwa Kigen
“Some people may think I am only a lawyer for high profile individuals who appear in big cases but the truth is that you can’t decline to represent a client unless there is a professional reason to refuse the job,” he told the Standard.
Although he has a bias toward criminal law which he enjoys doing, Kilukumi is an all-round lawyer who also represents clients in commercial disputes, and constitutional matters and also practices other bits of the legal profession.
Hillary Sigei
Sigei is a managing partner at Sing’oei, Murkomen, and Sigei (SMS) Advocates. He boasts over 10 years of experience in legal practice and over 7 years in management and leadership.
Wakili Sigei as he is popularly referred to as holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi, a diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law, and a Master of Laws in International Trade and Investment Law from the University of Nairobi.
He is a member of the Standards Tribunal-a Judicial Tribunal established under the Standards Act, to adjudicate over appeals filed by entities and individuals dissatisfied with the decisions of the Kenya Bureau of Standards(KEBS). He also sits as a Member of the Dispute Resolution Committee and Tribunal established on an ad-hoc basis by the Political Parties.
Sigei is also a board member at Good Neighbors- an international Humanitarian Development NGO involved in professional social welfare and international development cooperation projects around the world. It is involved in Education and protection, Health, Water and Sanitation, Income Generation, Advocacy, Community Partnership and Network Building.
He also represents the Kenya National Union of Teachers(KNUT) in the Dispute with the Teachers Service Commission agitating for improved terms and conditions of service with a team of other Senior Lawyers.
Muthomi Thiankolu
Dr Muthomi Thiankolu is a Partner at Muthomi & Karanja Advocates and a Lecturer at the University of Nairobi School of Law. His professional interests are in public procurement regulation, dispute resolution, electoral and democratic processes, constitutional and administrative law and international economic law. He is an accomplished legal practitioner, consultant and academic.
He holds a PhD in law from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. He also holds an LLM in International Economic Law (with distinction) from the University of Warwick (UK), a Postgraduate Diploma from the Kenya School of Law and an LLB (Hons.) from the University of Nairobi.
Dr. Muthomi has appeared at the East African Court of Justice, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kenya, all other superior courts of the Republic of Kenya and many specialised courts and tribunals. He has provided legal consultancy services to (inter alia) the World Bank Group (the IFC), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the German Cooperation (GiZ), the Judicial Service Commission of Kenya, the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (Kenya), the International Development Law Organisation (IDLO), the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Research Foundation of the State University of New York (SUNY).
