Vale Paul Kihara Kariuki 1954-2026: Kenya mourns an ‘exemplary judicial leader’ and dedicated public servant

Distinguished guests including judicial, legal, and government leaders joined family members and friends at a service for retired judge and former Attorney General Paul Kihara Kariuki yesterday, as Kenya mourned a dedicated public servant who helped shape and made an indelible mark on the country’s judicial and public institutions.

“As we mourn his passing, we also celebrate a life devoted to the law, public service, and the strengthening of institutions that sustain the rule of law,” said Chief Justice Martha Koome, following news of retired Justice Kihara’s death on Tuesday.

The Chief Justice noted that one of the late Justice’s “most enduring contributions” to the judiciary was his pioneering leadership as the founding director of the Judiciary Training Institute, the predecessor to the current Kenya Judiciary Academy.

“His legacy will endure through the institutions he helped build, the reforms he championed, and the generations of judicial and legal professionals who benefited from his leadership,” said Koome, who attended yesterday’s service alongside many leading legal and judicial figures and dignitaries including former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Chief Justices Dr Willy Mutunga and David Maraga, former Attorney Generals Justin Muturi, Prof. Githu Muigai and Amos Wako, President of the Court of Appeal Justice Gatembu Kairu, and Solicitor General Shadrack Mose.

During yesterday’s ceremony, the Solicitor General delivered a condolence message on behalf of current Attorney General Dorcas Agik Oduor, and her entire Office, honouring the late Justice Kihara for his distinguished career in the legal profession and immense contribution to the administration of justice and public service, including his term as Attorney General from 2018 to 2022, which followed his service as President of Kenya’s Court of Appeal from 2013 to 2018.

“[He] was a distinguished legal mind whose dedication to public service and the administration of justice left an indelible mark on our country's legal institutions,” said the Solicitor General. “His leadership, professional integrity and commitment to the rule of law will remain an enduring legacy. As the Office of the Attorney General, we honour his service and celebrate the invaluable contribution he made to our nation,”

Born in Kiambu County in 1954, Kihara built a distinguished career in law over several decades, rising through private legal practice to some of Kenya’s most senior judicial and government positions. A law graduate of the University of Nairobi, he joined one of the country’s oldest and most prestigious law firms, Hamilton, Harrison & Mathews in 1977 as a Legal Assistant, rising to partner. In 1986 he co-founded Ndungu Njoroge and Kwach Advocates, where he practiced commercial litigation and dispute resolution, constitutional and public law, and ecclesiastical governance until 2000, when he became the Principal and CEO of the Kenya School of Law.

“The School remembers him not merely as a former Principal, but as one of the individuals whose professional service and leadership helped shape its institutional journey,” said Isacc Kuloba, the Acting Director and CEO of the Kenya School of Law, after the judge’s passing on Tuesday. “His contribution to legal education and the wider administration of justice remains an important part of his legacy.”

Beyond his tenure leading the Kenya School of Law, Kihara also participated in the Ministerial Task Force on the Development of a Policy Framework for Legal Education in Kenya (2005–2006), while a High Court judge, “demonstrated his enduring commitment to strengthening the legal education framework and advancing the quality and relevance of legal training in Kenya”.

The late Justice joined the judiciary as a High Court judge in 2003, during a key period of institutional transition. In 2006, he was appointed to head an Integrity Review Panel by Chief Justice Evan Gicheru to investigate financial management and recommend anti-corruption reforms. After being selected to lead the new Judicial Training Institute in 2009, he established the first structured professional development and legal education programs for sitting Kenyan judges.

In 2012, Kihara was elevated to the Court of Appeal, and following the implementation of the 2010 Constitution, he achieved a historic milestone by becoming in 2013 the first President of the Court of Appeal to be directly elected by his fellow appellate judges. During his five-year tenure, he championed structural reforms, drafted the Court of Appeal Bill, and decentralised the court by launching appellate circuits outside Nairobi to bring justice closer to everyday citizens.

In April 2018, former President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed Kihara as Kenya’s seventh Attorney General, succeeding Professor Githu Muigai. He served as Attorney General until October 2022, when he was succeeded by Justin Muturi following the transition to current President William Ruto’s administration. “On my behalf and on behalf of the people of Kenya, I convey our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and colleagues,” said President Ruto this week. “We stand with them in mourning this great loss and honouring a life of distinguished service to our nation.”

Past Law Society of Kenya President Faith Odhiambo also paid tribute to the late judge, saying Kihara’s service on the bench, leadership of the Court of Appeal, and pioneering role in judicial training leave a lasting legacy in Kenya’s legal institutions.

“His contribution lives on in the institutions he helped strengthen and the judicial officers and legal professionals whose development he supported.”