President Ruto Names 54 New Senior Counsels in Kenya

The legal landscape in Kenya has undergone a seismic shift following a recent Kenya Gazette notice announcing the conferment of 54 new Senior Counsels, effectively doubling the elite rank from 66 to a historic 120. This massive batch marks the largest conferment of the prestigious title in recent years.

The title of Senior Counsel (SC) is the highest honor a lawyer can receive in Kenya. Recipients must demonstrate a distinguished career spanning at least 10 years of High Court practice, possess unimpeachable integrity, and show significant contributions to the advancement of law, with candidates being recommended by a specialized committee.

While the legal fraternity celebrated the expansion, the new list immediately ignited a fierce public debate regarding ethnic fairness and representation.

Narok Senator Ledama Olekina took to social media to express his surprise and disappointment: “I’m surprised that not a single Maasai lawyer has ever been conferred the rank of Senior Counsel. The selection committee really needs to ensure fairness in their process.” His comments directly challenged the equity of the process, suggesting a systemic oversight or bias against lawyers from the Maasai community.

Senator Olekina’s assertion was quickly met with pushback from other quarters who stressed that merit, not ethnicity, is the sole criterion for the rank. Commenters pointed to prior recipients, specifically naming former Attorney General Keriako Tobiko, to counter the claim of exclusion. “Keriako Tobiko is Senior Counsel, the last time I checked he was not a Fulani herdsman or a Duruma palm tree climber,” one user noted, emphasizing that Mr. Tobiko is of Maasai descent and already holds the title.

Furthermore, Committee member Ahmednasir Abdullahi, a key figure in the legal sector, affirmed the integrity of the process, pushing back on the idea of bias. “I’m a member of the conferment committee (it isn’t called ‘selection committee’). We are very fair. And yes, we a distinguished Maasai Lawyer on the Roll of Senior Counsel,” Abdullahi stated, confirming that at least one lawyer from the community has already been honored.

The controversy highlights the persistent tension in Kenya between achieving individual meritocracy within elite professions and ensuring visible ethnic balance and representation across all national institutions.