President William Ruto nominated Rebecca Miano for the position of Attorney General on July 19.
Miano, who previously served as the Cabinet Secretary for Trade and Industrialization, will take over from Justin Muturi if successful in the vetting stage. Muturi was dismissed on July 11.
Miano’s nomination has sparked mixed reactions among Kenyans, who have questioned her qualifications for the role.
Despite holding a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree, a Diploma in Law, and postgraduate studies in Comparative Law, critics argue that Miano lacks a legal career.
Constitutional lawyer Willis Evans Otieno stated, “The AG must have a distinguished legal career of at least 15 years as a judge or legal practitioner… Being a corporate secretary and mismanaging KenGen is the complete opposite of a distinguished legal profession.”
“To be fair, Rebecca Miano does not meet this very high threshold. She might be good in management, playing golf, farming, or singing, but we have a constitution to adhere to. The best thing to do is to say No,” CPA Ng’ang’a Mwangi said.
Qualifications of An Attorney General
According to the Constitution of Kenya, the qualifications for the Attorney General are the same as for the Chief Justice.
Both positions require at least fifteen years of experience as a superior court judge.
He/ she should have at least fifteen years’ experience as a distinguished academic, judicial officer, legal practitioner or such experience in other relevant legal field.
Additionally, the Attorney General must have held these qualifications for an aggregate period of fifteen years.
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Professional Background of Rebecca Miano
Miano has over three decades of experience in the energy sector, where she is recognized as a prominent business leader with a distinguished career in public service.
The former CS is a registered Certified Public Secretary of Kenya. She attained fellowship status (FCS) from the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya (ICPSK) in October 2023.
Before joining Cabinet, Miano was the first female Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), a role she served in for five years.
Other than KenGen, Miano previously served on the Finance Committee of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK).
She previously served as the CS East African Community, Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALS), and Regional Development.
In the business sector, she founded the Pink Energy forum, an initiative aimed at addressing gender issues within the energy industry.
Her expertise and leadership have also been acknowledged through several prestigious appointments, including serving as a council member of the World Bank Group’s Advisory Council on Gender and Development
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Miano to Become 1st Female Attorney General
Miano will become the country’s ninth Attorney-General if MPs endorse her nomination. She will be the first woman to hold the position, with all previous holders being male, including the first Attorney-General Charles Mugane Njonjo, who held the position from independence in 1963 to 1979.
Other past Attorney Generals included James Karugu (1980-1981), Joseph Kamere (1981-1983), Mathew Muli (1983-1991), Amos Wako (1991-2011), Professor Githu Muigai (2011-2018) and Kihara Kariuki (2018-2022).
If appointed as the Attorney-General, Miano will be the government’s principal legal advisor, responsible for representing the national government in court or any other legal proceedings to which the national government is a party (other than criminal proceedings).
All eyes are now on the Members of Parliament who will be conducting the vetting process to determine the next principal legal advisor to the government.
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