Former Attorney General Paul Kihara Kariuki, a distinguished jurist who rose through Kenya’s legal profession to lead the Judiciary’s highest appellate court and serve as Attorney General, died at 72.

His death was announced on Tuesday, November 3, by Chief Justice Martha Koome, who paid tribute to his contribution to the administration of justice and the development of Kenya’s legal institutions.

In a statement issued on behalf of the Judiciary, Koome conveyed condolences to Kariuki’s family, friends, former colleagues and all those who worked with him throughout his career.

“Justice Kihara Kariuki was an accomplished jurist, an exemplary judicial leader and a dedicated public servant whose contributions to the administration of justice and the development of Kenya’s legal institutions will remain an enduring part of our institutional history,” she said.

Kariuki’s death marks the end of a career spanning decades in private legal practice, judicial service and public administration.

Career spanning law, Judiciary and public service

Kariuki served as Attorney General from 2018 to 2022 after his appointment by former President Uhuru Kenyatta. He was nominated to the position on February 13, 2018, following the departure of his predecessor, Githu Muigai.

Before joining the Executive, Kariuki was a prominent figure in the legal profession and the Judiciary.

He entered private practice in 1977 as an assistant at Hamilton, Harrison and Mathews Advocates in Nairobi, where he worked until 1980. He subsequently became a partner at the firm, serving between 1981 and 1986.

In 1986, he co-founded Ndungu Njoroge and Kwach Advocates, a law firm where he continued practising until 2000.

He later took up the position of Director of the Kenya School of Law before transitioning to judicial service in October 2003, following his appointment as a High Court judge by retired President Mwai Kibaki.

During his tenure at the High Court, Kariuki served as a duty judge and was appointed in 2006 to lead an integrity review committee established by former Chief Justice Evan Gicheru.

In 2009, he became the inaugural head of the Judicial Training Institute, where he spearheaded efforts to institutionalise judicial training and professional development.

His career subsequently advanced to the Court of Appeal, where he was appointed a judge before becoming President of the court in 2013. He held the position until 2018, when he left the Judiciary to take up the Attorney General’s office.

As the country’s chief legal adviser, Kariuki served in the Kenyatta administration until 2022.

Education and family background

Kariuki was born on May 11, 1954, in Kiambu County to the late Anglican Bishop Obadiah Kariuki and Lillian Wairimu, whose father was Senior Chief Koinange.

He received his secondary education at Nairobi School before proceeding to the University of Nairobi, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1977.