Former Attorney General and retired Judge Paul Kihara Kariuki has died aged 72.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, November 3, Chief Justice Martha Koome mourned the veteran lawyer, describing him as an accomplished jurist, exemplary judicial leader and dedicated public servant whose contribution to Kenya’s legal institutions will remain part of the country’s history.
On behalf of the Judiciary, the Chief Justice extended her condolences to Kariuki’s family, friends, colleagues and those who worked with him during his years in public service.
Kariuki was appointed a Judge of the High Court in 2003 before being elevated to the Court of Appeal. He later became the first President of the Court of Appeal elected by fellow judges under the 2010 Constitution.
He served as President of the Court of Appeal from 2013 to 2018, during which he introduced reforms aimed at improving the court’s efficiency and access to justice. These included decentralising the court’s operations to make its services more accessible.
The late Kariuki also played a key role in strengthening judicial training in Kenya. He served as the founding Director of the Judiciary Training Institute, which later became the Kenya Judiciary Academy.
During his time at the institute, he helped establish a structured system of training and professional development for judges, judicial officers and Judiciary staff.
Beyond the Judiciary, Kariuki served as Kenya’s Attorney General from 2018 to 2022, where he was responsible for providing legal advice to the national government.
Kihara was born in May 11 1954 .He was the son to the late Bishop Obadiah Kariuki and Lilian Wairimu the daughter of Senior Chief Koinange.
He attended Nairobi School before joining the University of Nairobi for his Bachelors of Laws in 1977. He began his legal career as an assistant at Hamilton, Harrison and Matthews Advocates between 1977 and 1980 before he became a partner of the firm from 1981 to 1996 .
According to the Office of the Attorney General Kihara also served in other positions such as Director of the Judiciary Training Institute ,a judge of the High Court,Principal and Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya School of Law.
He holds a Postgraduate Diploma from the Kenya School of Law . He got into office as Attorney General in 2018 after he was nominated by the former President Uhuru Kenyatta becoming Professor Githu Muigai’s succesor.
