Lawyer Duncan Oburu Ojwang has turned down his appointment as the new Chairperson of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), just a week after he was nominated by President William Ruto.
In a letter to National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula on Tuesday, August 13, Ojwang said he was unable to take up the job due to personal reasons as well as an alleged conflict of interest.
Ojwang was proposed on August 5 to occupy the vacant chair of the late Roseline Odhiambo Odede. His withdrawal will mean his vetting, scheduled for Wednesday, August 13, not proceed
“In light of the foregoing, the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs is directed to cease any further consideration of the nominee,” Speaker Wetang’ula told MPs.
He instructed the Clerk of the National Assembly to inform the President immediately.
Ojwang’s nomination had already faced legal challenges from the Katiba Institute and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC).
The two petitioners argued that the appointment violated the constitutional gender balance rule, as both the current vice-chair, Raymond Nyeris, and the nominated chairperson are men.
They cited Article 250(2) of the Constitution and Section 1(6) of the Second Schedule of the KNCHR Act, both of which provide that the chairperson and vice-chairperson shall be of different sexes.
Ojwang was one of six May nominees from 17 applicants. He is a seasoned legal academic and human rights expert previously Dean of School of Law at Africa Nazarene University (2017–2023) and lecturer at the University of Nairobi, with a specialisation in constitutional law, human rights, environmental law, and law and development.
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