30 Facts About David Maraga

David Kenani Maraga was born on 12 January 1951 and is a Kenyan lawyer and jurist.

David Maraga was the 14th Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya from October 2016 until his retirement in January 2021.

David Maraga attended Sironga DEB Primary School from 1961 to 1967 for his Certificate of Primary Education, Maranda High School from 1968 to 1971 for his East African School Certificate, and Kisii High School from 1972 to 1973 for his East African Advanced Certificate of Education.

David Maraga studied law at the University of Nairobi, and was awarded a Bachelor of Laws in 1977.

David Maraga holds a post-graduate diploma awarded in 1978 by the Kenya School of Law.

David Maraga was admitted to the Kenyan bar in October 1978.

David Maraga later obtained a Master of Laws from the University of Nairobi in 2011.

David Maraga served from 1987 to 1989 as the chairperson of the Rift Valley Law Society.

Justice David Maraga joined the bench as a High Court Judge in October 2003 having been appointed by President Mwai Kibaki.

David Maraga served in various leadership roles, including as the resident judge, High Court of Kenya in Nakuru from May 2009 to August 2010 and as the presiding judge of the Family Division of the High Court in Nairobi from April 2010 to December 2011.

David Maraga was elevated to the Court of Appeal in January 2012 following an interview process by the Judicial Service Commission.

Justice David Maraga served in the Court of Appeal in Nairobi from January 2012 to September 2014, and as the presiding judge of the Court of Appeal in Kisumu from October 2014 until his appointment as the Chief Justice two years later.

Justice David Maraga was appointed by retired Chief Justice Willy Mutunga in May 2012 as the vice chair of the Kenya Judiciary Working Committee on Election Preparations which was constituted to ensure the judiciary was fully prepared to deal in a timely manner, with any disputes that would arise from the March 2013 General Election.

Justice David Maraga abstained from these proceedings at the Supreme Court having chaired the tribunal that recommended the dismissal of the Justice Mutava.

Judge David Maraga emerged victorious from a list of eminent judges, legal practitioners and scholars, including law professor Makau Mutua, Supreme Court of Kenya Judges Jackton Ojwang and Smokin Wanjala, East Africa Court of Justice Judge Aaron Ringera and his Court of Appeal colleague Alnashir Visram.

David Maraga was officially appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta on 19 October 2016, when he took the oath of office as the 14th chief justice of independent Kenya and the second chief justice in Kenya's new constitutional dispensation.

Unlike his predecessor Willy Mutunga, who showed up for his oath wearing a normal suit, David Maraga took his oath of office in full judicial regalia, marking the return of colonial-era judicial gowns and wigs, something that CJ Mutunga had worked to eradicate.

On 21 September 2020, David Maraga issued an advisory calling on the President to dissolve Kenya's Parliament owing to the failure by Parliament to enact legislation which would give effect to a provision in Kenya's Constitution that requires gender quotas in all public bodies.

Chief Justice David Maraga was the subject of several petitions inviting the Judicial Service Commission to remove him from office over gross misconduct.

David Maraga had earlier been spotted attending a Jubilee Party rally headlined by President Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto in Kisii.

David Maraga was accused of tribalism, employing only members of his Kisii tribe in his office.

On 30 June 2020, a 30-year-old woman caused a dramatic scene at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi, where she alleged that Chief Justice David Maraga had neglected a child they had together in 2014 following an extra-marital affair.

David Maraga's lawyers highlighted several gaps in the woman's claims, including inconsistencies in the Birth Certificate she produced to support the child's parentage.

Justice David Maraga retired on 12 January 2021 when he turned 70 in accordance with Article 167 and 167 of the Constitution of Kenya which provides that an individual shall retire from the Office of the Chief Justice after serving for 10 years or on reaching the age of 70, whichever comes first.

David Maraga handed the leadership of the judiciary to Lady Justice Philomena Mwilu, deputy chief justice and vice president of the Supreme Court, who would serve as the Acting Chief Justice and president of the Supreme Court until a substantive chief justice is appointed.

David Maraga earned the praise of many Kenyans for his bravery and integrity, especially following the nullification of the 2017 presidential election results, his advisory calling on the President to dissolve Kenya's Parliament and his many public statements condemning the presidency over budgetary cuts and the failure to appoint the JSC's judicial nominees.

Nonetheless, Justice David Maraga is most remembered for his work as the chairperson of the Judiciary Committee on Elections and his electoral law jurisprudence which culminated in the nullification of the August 2017 presidential election results.

David Maraga is married to Yucabeth Nyaboke, with whom they have three children; Dr Edith K Maraga, Emma I Maraga-Mangoa, and Moses K Maraga.

David Maraga is an elder and a Bible study leader in the church.

David Maraga was a member of the Constitutional Review Task Force of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, East African Union and the leader of the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department Nairobi Central Seventh-day Adventist Church.