WILLY MUTUNGA
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 16,1946 |
| GENDER | Male |
| OCCUPATION | Former CJ, Lawyer |
Biography
Justice Willy Mutunga was the 13th Chief Justice of independent Kenya. He is a Kenyan lawyer, intellectual, and reform activist, who also served as the Commonwealth Special Envoy to the Maldives.
Mutunga is the first Chief Justice to be appointed competitively and publicly under the new Constitution, with the mandate of first President of the newly established Supreme Court.
Educational Background
Mutunga attended Ithookwe Primary School before proceeding to Kitui School for his Kenya Certificate of Education exams.
Dr Mutunga obtained a bachelor’s degree in law and master’s degree from the University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, in 1971 and 1974, respectively, and a PhD from York University (Osgoode Hall Law School) in Toronto, Canada in 1992.
Willy Mutunga Job History
He taught law at the University of Nairobi, where he was also Secretary-General of the University Staff Union.
He also served as chairman of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and Executive Director of Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and Kituo Cha Sheria – Legal Advice Centre. His work in the pro-democracy movement put him at loggerheads with President Moi’s regime. As a result, Dr Mutunga was detained from 1982 to 1983. He is widely published and until his appointment as the CJ, Dr Mutunga was the representative for the Ford Foundation, Eastern Africa Regional in Nairobi.
Dr Mutunga is a lawyer, intellectual, human rights advocate, reform agent, writer and philanthropist. He is a firm believer in positive masculinity and mentorship. His career spans a rich experience in litigation, civil society, academia and government.
Dr Mutunga is credited for spearheading wide-ranging reforms in Kenya’s Judiciary and the justice sector thereby laying the foundation for a responsive, open and independent Judiciary, and one that is conscious and committed to delivering on its constitutional mission.
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