A few hours after his inauguration, President William Ruto signed an executive order appointing the six judges that the Kenyatta government had rejected.

While making the inaugural speech he promised to gazette the six judges so that they can start serving the people. He also stated that he would be attending their swearing-in ceremony tomorrow.

William Ruto also promises to increase the budgetary allocation of the judiciary to facilitate discharging its duties.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 166(1) of the Constitution of Kenya, I, William Samoei Ruto, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, appoint –Korir Weldon Kipyegon, Muchelule Aggrey Otsyula, Odunga George Vincent, Joel Mwaura Ngugi,”

The six judges gazetted today include Aggrey Muchelule, Professor Joel Mwaura Ngugi, Korir Weldon Kipyegon, and Odunga George Vincent who will be working for the Court of Appeal.

Aggrey Muchelule is a former member of the Judicial Service Commission. He has risen through the ranks from serving as a  resident magistrate to the High Court, Before his appointment to the Court of Appeal his immediate former job was at the Milimani law Courts as the presiding judge of the Family Court.

Weldon Korir has risen from an assistant administrator to a judge of the High Court.

Professor Joel Ngugi is currently the judge at Nakuru High Court. He has a Ph.D. in law from Harvard University. He has worked as an associate advocate at Kariuki Muigua advocates and as a law professor at the University of Washington.

Justice George Odunga was admitted to the bar in 1995. He worked at two law firms -  Rajn K.Somaiya and Behan and Okero as an advocate for sixteen years.

The two judges that were appointed to the Environment and Land Court include chief Magistrate  Makori Evans Kiago and former court registrar Cheruiyot Omange Judith Elizabeth.

While the Judiciary had in 2020 presented Uhuru Kenyatta with fourty names of judges, he gazetted only thirty-four leaving out six.

The president cited that he failed to gazette their appointment because the said judges did not meet some required threshold.

The then Chief Justice David Maraga accused former President Uhuru Kenyatta of acting in contempt of court for failing to appoint the judges despite court orders.