Former Attorney General Justice Paul Kihara Kariuki has passed on aged 72.
In a statement, Chief Justice Martha Koome confirmed his death, eulogising him as an accomplished jurist, an exemplary judicial leader and a dedicated public servant.
“Justice Kihara Kariuki was an accomplished jurist, an exemplary judicial leader and a dedicated public servant whose contributions to the administration of justice and the development of Kenya’s legal institutions will remain an enduring part of our institutional history,” CJ Koome mourned.
Kihara Kariuki was appointed a High Court judge in 2003 before being elevated to the Court of Appeal, where he became the first president elected by fellow judges under the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.
He served as President of the Court of Appeal from 2013 to 2018, a period during which Koome said he provided visionary leadership and strengthened the court’s institutional foundations.
Further, the late Justice (Rtd.) Paul Kihara served as the former Attorney General of Kenya from 2018 to 2022, advising the Government on legal matters.
According to Koome, “One of Justice Kihara Kariuki’s most enduring contributions to the Judiciary was his pioneering leadership as the founding Director of the Judiciary Training Institute, the predecessor of today’s Kenya Judiciary Academy.”
The CJ said, at a formative stage in the institution’s development, Kihara laid the operational foundations for a structured and institutionalised approach to judicial education, professional development and capacity building for Judges, Judicial Officers and Judiciary staff.
“Beyond the Judiciary, Justice Kihara Kariuki continued his distinguished service to the nation as Attorney General of the Republic of Kenya from 2018 to 2022, bringing his considerable legal experience to bear in the responsibility of serving as the Government’s principal legal adviser,” CJ noted.
More to follow….
