Ruto Gazettes Githu Muigai's Replacement

President William Ruto has appointed Prof Collins Odote Oloo to be the new chairperson of the Council of Legal Education (CLE) Board.

This is according to a Kenya Gazette notice dated Friday, October 6. Odote will replace Githu Muigai who resigned from the CLE Board on Monday, October 2.

"In exercise of the powers conferred by section 4 (5) (a) of the Legal Education Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint Collins Odote Oloo to be the Non-Executive Chairperson of the Council of Legal Education, for a period of three (3) years, with effect from the 6th October 2023," the notice read.

Subsequently, Ruto revoked Muigai's appointment following his resignation.

The council is critical because it regulates legal education and training offered by education providers.

According to section 8 (1) of the  Legal Education Act, 2012, the body is also mandated to license legal education providers, supervise legal education providers and advise the government on matters relating to legal education and training.

In carrying out its functions, the council is expected to make regulations with respect to requirements for the admission of persons seeking to enrol in legal education programmes and also establish criteria for recognition and equation of academic qualifications in legal education.

“The chairperson, who shall be a person with at least 15 years experience in matters relating to legal education and training, will be appointed by the president," reads the Act in part.

Prof Muigai revealed that he resigned from the post owing to some of the submissions he made last week while appearing before the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) at Bomas of Kenya that have made his position untenable.

"As most of you know I have dedicated a very large part of my career to legal education and training and it is with a very heavy heart that I have arrived at this decision," he wrote in part in an internal memo to his colleagues.

Prof. Muigai told the NADCO committee on Thursday, September 28 that Parliament has too many leaders, and that there should be a plan to reduce the number of constituencies as well as scrap a few political positions.

"We have too many people in Parliament, we have too many constituencies and counties. They are costing us a lot of money. Reduce the constituencies to about 100 and have one man and one woman in each," he claimed.

President Ruto also made seven new appointments to the Advisory Committee on the Power of Mercy, including Lorna Mutoro Mumelo, Patrick Musau Musila, John Kutswa Olaka, Dr. Edward Kibiwott Boor, Rev. Humpton Rogers Namu, Bishar Maalim Abdullahi, and Jane Wanjiru Kuria.

Kisumu West Member of Parliament Olago Aluoch has been appointed as the Chairperson of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) Board.

Former Attorney-General, Prof. Githu Muigai. /THE LAWYER AFRICA