DAVID KENANI MARAGA, EGH, is the Chief Justice of the Republic of Kenya. He is also the Chairman of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya. The Hon CJ also chairs the National Council on Law Reporting (NCLR), the body tasked with reporting of case law and the development other legal publications.
The Hon CJ holds a Master of Laws (LLM) Degree and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Degree, both from the University of Nairobi. He also has a Diploma in Legal Practice from the Kenya School of Law. He was admitted into the Kenyan Bar in October 1978 and is a member of the Law Society of Kenya. CJ Maraga is a staunch believer in the courts’ role in supporting arbitration and other ADR methods, and has spearheaded programs for training of judges in ADR, and for court-annexed mediation for family matters. The Hon CJ is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London.
The Hon CJ’s work in the Judiciary is highly celebrated. In December 2016, the President of the Republic of Kenya honoured CJ Maraga with the award of Elder of the Golden Heart (EGH) for distinguished service to the people of Kenya. In 2017, he received the Jurist of the Year Award from the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)—Kenya Section. The New African Magazine named him as the 6th “Most Influential African of 2017” and in March 2018, the Law Society of Kenya presented him with the Legal Excellence Award for “Distinguished Service in the Administration of Justice.” On 14th December 2018, CJ Maraga was awarded an honorary doctorate in law by Daystar University during the institution’s 41st Graduation Ceremony for among others, “… having given Kenyans a renewed confidence in the independence of the Judiciary”. On 5th May 2019, Andrews University, Michigan USA awarded the Hon CJ with an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree.
The Hon CJ has delivered Keynote addresses in among others, the 9th Annual African Development Conference at the Harvard University Law School in March 2018, South Africa’s Stellenbosch University during the 6th Annual Conference on Constitutionalism in Africa in September 2018 and on 4th June 2019 he delivered a lecture at Oxford University, UK, on constitutionalism and the place of one’s faith in the performance of one’s public duties.