Kenyans hopeful for justice as Ruto appoints new Court of Appeal judges

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President William Ruto has formally appointed the 15 judges to the Court of Appeal who were nominated by the Judicial Service Commission last week.

The much awaited Kenya Gazette Notice, is expected to ease a heavy backlog that has frustrated ordinary Kenyans for years.

According to the latest State of the Judiciary and the Administration of Justice (SOJAR) report for FY 2023/24, the Court of Appeal had 5,822 pending backlog cases--matters that have stayed unresolved for more than one year and far beyond what the constitution envisages for timely justice.

The new Court of Appeal Judges are Hedwig Imbosa Ong’udi, Mathews Nduma Nderi, Linnet Mumo Ndolo, Enock Chacha Mwita, Lucy Mwihaki Njuguna, Samson Odhiambo Okongo, Rachel Chepkoech Ngetich, Joseph Kipchumba Kigen Katwa and Stephen Andersen Radido Okiyo.

Others are Brown Murungi Kairaria, Ahmed Issack Hassan, Paul Lilan, Johnson Okoth Okello, Munyao Sila and Byram Ongaya.

For many Kenyans, long waits for appeals have meant uncertainty, rising legal costs and delayed closure on issues that affect everyday life — land disputes, employment disagreements, family inheritance matters and commercial conflicts.

Because most litigants cannot afford to take cases all the way to the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal is usually their last stop for justice. When appeals drag on for years, justice is effectively denied.

The backlog figures from the SOJAR report show that cases lingering beyond one year were 3,525 in the 1–3 year category and 2,297 over three years, a clear indicator of systemic delay.

The expanded bench is expected to increase the number of cases heard at the same time, potentially cutting down waiting times and reducing costs for ordinary citizens.

With the necessary himan capital, the Judiciary expects that adequate funding, more courtrooms and stronger administrative support will also be fixed for real change.

The judges will now be sworn in and deployed across appeal court stations.

For ordinary Kenyans waiting for final rulings, the key question remains: Will these new judges turn years-long waits into months? That is why attention is firmly fixed on the new Court of Appeal bench.