Macharia Rose Wachuka, an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, is among the shortlisted candidates for the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary position. 

In a notice on Friday, February 16, 2024, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) said it settled on the seven potential candidates after receiving applications from forty-three individuals.

Interviews are scheduled to take place on March 18th, 2024, at the Judicial Service Commission Boardroom located at CBK Pension Towers in Nairobi.

Others are Ouma Jack Busalile Mwimali, Mokaya Frida Boyani, Wambeti Anne Ireri, Ndemo Paul Maina, Kendagor Caroline Jepyegen, and Kandet Kennedy Lenkamai.

Who is Wachuka 

Rose Wachuka  Macharia was born in Ol Kalou, Nyandarua County. She spent her first 10 years in the county situated in the central Kenya region.

In an interview with a local TV, Rose revealed how she developed her passion for law in her early years.

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According to her, experiences of people struggling with court cases sparked her interest in law in her childhood days.

She recalled a conversation she once had with her grandfather when she said that there was nothing that could impoverish a person “like illness and a court case”.

“Having witnessed people go to court for ages and sometimes even die before justice is served made me know I really wanted to advocate for justice,” she said.

School journey

Wachuka graduated with a bachelor’s degree in law from Moi University and started her career as a trainee arbitrator in 2009. She would then get her first job with United Nations Environmental Program (UNDP).

She hit another personal major milestone after being appointed a law clerk in the Supreme Court of Kenya, then an advisor before becoming a Chief of Staff in the ministries of Sports and Education.

Her academic background also includes executive education from Harvard Kennedy School and Aga Khan University, a Master of Arts in International Relations from United States International University, advocacy experience on the High Court, and membership in the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. She also holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Oxford.

Wachuka, who has a strong interest in reading and discovering new literary works, regarded her work under CJ Koome as the pinnacle of her career.

Wachuka in office of chief justice

Rose serves in the President of the Supreme Court’s office as the Chief of Staff to the Honorable Chief Justice.
Her functions involve overseeing performance management, communication and processes in the office of CJ.

Her responsibilities also include making sure that the Chief Justice’s priorities are recognized, anticipated, and fulfilled.

Others include to improve collaboration and partnership between the Office of the Chief Justice, the Presidency and other offices.

Wachuka in other offices

She has held positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Education in the past. She was also the youngest member of Kenya’s first Supreme Court, serving as the court’s law clerk and adding to the country’s innovative and unique electoral and constitutional law.

Wachuka served as the Global Young Greens Summit’s 2012 president. From 2012 to 2014 she served as the coordinator of the Africa-Europe Platform.

The platform tracked the Joint Africa-Europe Strategy’s execution. She also served as the Global Young Greens Steering Committee representative for Africa.

In addition, she was recently named a Public Service partner on the African Union’s Youth Front on Coronavirus. She co-founded the Linacre African Network at the University of Oxford’s Linacre College. This channel gives African students opportunities to study at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom.

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She has co-authored and published academic papers on biocultural community protocols and international regimes on access and benefit sharing with renowned constitutional scholar Prof. Yash Pal Ghai, UNEP, and Natural Justice Lawyers.

His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta awarded her the prestigious Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (M.B.S.) Award on December 12, 2019, in recognition of her outstanding and distinguished service to the country in a variety of capacities and responsibilities. She is also a Chevening Scholar (Oxon, 2015).