Kenya’s top prosecutors, including Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga, Special Prosecutor James Muruthi Kihara and Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Jacinta Nyamosi, are among 146 lawyers seeking the prestigious rank of Senior Counsel in 2026.
Special Prosecutor Kihara, who has undertaken specialised training at Harvard University and other institutions in arbitration and governance, is a seasoned litigator whose career spans more than three decades in criminal prosecution, commercial litigation, arbitration and public service.
Other applicants include former National Assembly Clerk Samuel K. Chepkong’a, former Senate Speaker Shadrack Mose, criminal lawyer Kiraithe Wandugi, James Gitau Sigh and former Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission director Judith Shamallah.
If successful, Kihara would join distinguished legal practitioners, including Philip Murgor, who served as Director of Public Prosecutions between 2003 and 2005.
Kihara swas appointed a special prosecutor in 2019 alongside Taib Ali Taib and Murgor, both of whom have since attained the rank of Senior Counsel.
Among the high-profile cases he prosecuted were those involving former Nairobi governors Mike Sonko and Evans Kidero, as well as Onyango Oloo in the Lake Basin Mall case.
Special prosecutors are appointed to handle specific cases under delegated prosecutorial authority, often bringing specialised expertise to complex or sensitive matters.
Kihara’s experience extends beyond criminal prosecution to major commercial disputes and alternative dispute resolution.
For several years, he served as counsel on record in the multibillion-shilling dispute involving the Kenya Pipeline Company and the Mombasa-Nairobi pipeline.
He was also the first chairman of the Public Private Partnerships Petitions Committee, a position later held by former Attorney General Githu Muigai.
Kihara is a former chairman of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and has served as a director of the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration, representing the Law Society of Kenya.
His professional credentials also include a Master of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi, a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Pune in India and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Delhi University.
He has undertaken specialised training in arbitration, governance and public-private partnerships, and was recognised in The Legal 500’s Arbitration Powerlist Africa 2021. He has also received the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) award.
Senior Counsel are seelected under Section 17 of the Advocates Act, the President may confer the rank of Senior Counsel on advocates who have demonstrated exemplary service to the legal profession and public service.
Applicants must have practised as advocates of the High Court for at least 15 years and demonstrate professional competence, integrity, good character and contributions to the legal profession, among other requirements.
The Committee on Senior Counsel evaluates applications before recommending successful candidates to the Chief Justice, who forwards the names to the President for formal conferment.
The 146 applicants must undergo this assessment before any of them can be awarded the prestigious rank.
