Duncan Oburu Ojwang has turned down his nomination by President William Ruto to become the chairman of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).
In a letter to the National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, he declined the offer, stating personal reasons and conflict of interest.
As a result, Wetangula told MPs to halt the vetting process planned for Wednesday August 13, 2025 and asked the Clerk of the National Assembly to inform the appointing authority.
“In light of the above, the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs is instructed to halt any further consideration of the nominee,” Wetang’ula told MPs.
Dr Oburu Ojwang’s nomination was done by President Ruto on August 5, 2025, after the position fell vacant following the death of the previous chair, Roselyne Odhiambo Odede.
His nomination caused an uproar from the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and the Katiba Institute, who went to court to challenge it on grounds of violating constitutional gender balance rules in independent commissions.
They argued that since the current vice-chairperson of KNCHR is a male, appointing another male as chairperson would break Section 1(6) of the Second Schedule of the KNCHR Act, which states that the chairperson and vice-chairperson should not be of the same gender.
Likewise, the Commission stated Article 250 (II) of the Constitution prohibits the appointment of the same persons as chair and vice chairperson in the Commission.
