Former Attorney General and retired President of the Court of Appeal, Justice (Rtd.) Paul Kihara Kariuki, has died at the age of 72.
Chief Justice Martha Koome announced his passing on Tuesday morning, November 3, paying tribute to his decades of service across Kenya’s Judiciary and Executive branches.
“It is with profound sadness that I have learnt of the passing of Hon. Justice (Rtd.) Paul Kihara Kariuki, EGH,” Chief Justice Koome said in an official statement. “On my own behalf, and on behalf of the entire Judiciary fraternity, I extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and all those whose lives he touched during his distinguished career in public service.”
A Distinguished Career in Public Service
Born on May 11, 1954, Kariuki established a long-standing legal career spanning private practice, judicial administration, and high-level government counsel.
After graduating with a Law degree from the University of Nairobi in 1977 and completing his postgraduate diploma at the Kenya School of Law, Kariuki practiced in corporate law before taking up the role of Principal and Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya School of Law.
In 2003, he was appointed a High Court Judge by former President Mwai Kibaki, later serving as the founding Director of the Judicial Training Institute (now the Kenya Judiciary Academy). In 2013, he was elected President of the Court of Appeal, where he served until 2018.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta subsequently nominated Kariuki to succeed Prof. Githu Muigai as Kenya’s 7th Attorney General. Kariuki served as the principal legal adviser to the government from April 2018 through October 2022, navigating major constitutional and policy matters during the final years of the Kenyatta administration.
Tributes from across the legal sector, Executive, and civil society continue to pour in as the nation remembers his contributions to the administration of justice and institutional governance.