President William Ruto appoints six judges rejected by Uhuru Kenyatta

President William Ruto has appointed six judges rejected by his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta in June last year.

Four of the judges, who will join the Court of Appeal, will be sworn in Wednesday at State House, Dr Ruto’s office said.

“This follows the signing of an Executive Order on the appointment of the judges this evening by President William Ruto,” a statement from the State House reads.

The four are Weldon Koriri, Aggrey Muchelule, George Odunga and Joel  Ngugi. They, alongside two others of the High Court, had been left out when 34 judges were sworn into office last June.

Former President Kenyatta rejected the six, citing integrity concerns but did not reveal details. Several attempts to make him swear them into office through court orders were unsuccessful.

“To further demonstrate my commitment to the independence of the Judiciary, this afternoon, I will appoint the six judges already nominated for appointment to the Court of Appeal three years ago by the Judicial Service Commission and tomorrow, I shall preside over their swearing-in ceremony so that they can get on with the business of serving the people,” Dr Ruto said in his speech after his inauguration.

The two judges joining the Environment and Land Court are Evans Makori and Judith Omange.