The President of the Court, is elected under Article164(2) of the Constitution by the judges of the court for a non-renewable term of five years. He has supervisory powers over the court and reports to the Chief Justice. On administrative matters the President works with the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary.
The functions of the President of the Court are
- To oversee proper management and administration of the Court;
- To be responsible for the allocation of cases and the constitution of benches, including ordinary and extraordinary benches, of the Court;
- In consultation with the Chief Registrar, be responsible for giving general directions for the administration of the Court.
- In consultation with the Chief Justice, be responsible for
- Issue practice directions on the conduct of litigation in the Court;
- Develop guidelines that ensure the expeditious disposal of cases;
- Approval of leave and absence from duty of a judge
- Determination of the location of the sittings of the Court; and
- Maintenance of the honour and dignity of the Court.
Previous Presidents
The Leadership: The EACA and Court of Appeal of Kenya
The Court of Appeal for Eastern African was headed by Presidents between 1957 and 1975. Sir Newnham A. Worley was the first President in 1957, followed by Sir Kenneth K. O’Connor from 1958 to 1961, and Sir Ronald O. Sinclair from 1962 to 1963. From the inception of the court, its Justices were of European origin until November 1963, when Hon. Mr. Justice Samuel Azu Crabbe a Ghanaian, joined the bench. Hon. Mr. Justice Crabbe was followed by Sir Samuel Okai Quashi-Idun, also a Ghanaian, who became the President of the Court of Appeal. The era of Presidents of the Court of Appeal for Eastern Africa ended in 1977. From 1977 to 2012, the Court of Appeal was headed by a Presiding Judge. The Hon. Mr. Justice Chunlal Madan was the court’s first Presiding Judge who served between 1977 and 1985 while the Hon. Mr. Justice Riaga S. C. Omolo was its last, serving from 2003 to 2012. The Hon. Mr. Justice Erastus Githinji served in an acting capacity as the President Court of Appeal having been appointed by the Chief Justice in 2012. The Hon. Mr. Justice Paul Kihara Kariuki was the first to be elected by his colleagues as President Court of Appeal of Kenya under Article 164(2) of the constitution of Kenya and served from 2013 until his appointment as the Attorney General of Kenya in 2018. The Hon. Mr. Justice Philip Waki served in an acting capacity as the President of the Court until the election were held in March 2018 to elect Hon. Mr. Justice William Ouko SCJ, The current president of the Court Hon Mr Justice Daniel Musinga CBS, FIArb was elected in May 2021.
Contacts
Court of Appeal, Nairobi – P.O Box 30187-00100, Nairobi