Kenya: Former Attorney General Paul Kihara Dies As Judiciary Pays Tribute

What the report says

The Kenyan Judiciary has issued condolences after the death of former Attorney General and retired Court of Appeal President Paul Kihara Kariuki, who died aged 72. The remarks, reported from Nairobi, came through a statement from Chief Justice Martha Koome, who described him as a jurist whose work helped shape the country’s legal institutions and judicial administration.

According to the report, Kihara’s career in the judiciary included appointment as a High Court judge in 2003 and later service at the Court of Appeal. He became the first president elected by fellow judges under Kenya’s 2010 Constitution and led the appellate court from 2013 to 2018. During that period, he was associated with reforms intended to improve efficiency and access, including efforts to decentralize the court’s operations.

The Judiciary also highlighted Kihara’s role in establishing the Judiciary Training Institute, which later became the Kenya Judiciary Academy. That institution was described as laying the groundwork for structured judicial education, professional development and capacity building for judges, judicial officers and staff.

Kihara later served as Kenya’s Attorney General from 2018 to 2022, acting as the government’s principal legal adviser. The tribute emphasized his long public service and said his legacy would continue through the institutions and reforms linked to his work.