Justice Kakuru dies at 65
- The outspoken judge, had in 2021 applied to retire seven years earlier due to a health condition he was dealing with.
The Judiciary has confirmed the death of Justice Kenneth Kakuru, 65, a judge in the Court of Appeal.
Spokesperson of the Judiciary Jameson Karemani said Kakuru had been admitted to Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi. He had stage four prostate cancer.
Kakuru was forced to retire early so as to undergo treatment.
The outspoken judge had 2021 applied to retire seven years earlier due to a health condition he was dealing with.
Justice Kakuru who gained fame for his dissenting judgment in the ‘age limit case’, has been on the appellate court’s bench since 2013 when he was tapped from private practice.
In that case, he was the only one of five judges to rule that the amendment of the Constitution in 2017 to remove lower and upper age limits for presidential and local government candidates was done illegally.
He based his ruling on a number of factors, but especially on what he called a lack of consultation with the public during the amendment process.
Before joining the Judiciary, Justice Kakuru practiced law through his firm, Kakuru, and Company Advocates, and distinguished himself as an environmental rights attorney and an expert in public interest litigation.
He held a bachelor’s degree in law and a master’s of law from Makerere University, a postgraduate diploma in legal practice from the Law Development Centre, and a master’s degree in educational policy, planning, and development from Kyambogo University