Attorney General of Kenya explained

The Attorney General of Kenya is the head of the Kenyan State Law Office, the principal legal adviser to the government of Kenya, and a member of the Cabinet. Currently the office the Attorney General is vacant.^[1]

History

The Office of the Attorney General draws its mandate from Article 156 of the 2010 Constitution of Kenya, which vests in the Attorney General the responsibility of being the principal legal adviser to the government to ensure that the rule of law is promoted, protected and upheld, and defend the public interest. The Office of the Attorney General Act No. 49 of 2012 spells out the functions of the office, which include:

Duties

The attorney general's duties^[2] include the formulation of legal policy and ensuring proper administration of Kenya's legal system, including professional legal education. Assisting the Attorney General in the performance of his duties as principal legal adviser to the government are:

• Solicitor General
• Senior Deputy Solicitor General
• Director of Public Prosecutions
• Registrar General
• Administrator General
• Chairman of Advocates Complaints Commission
• Chief Parliamentary Counsel
• Chief State Counsel

Attorneys General of East Africa Protectorate (1895–1920)

• Alfred Karney Young (1895–1909)
• Ralph Molyneux Combe (1909–1914)
• Sir Jacob William Barth (1914–1918)^[3]
• Ivan Llewelyn Owen Gower (1918, acting)
• Robert William Lyall-Grant (1918–1920)^[4]

Attorneys General of British Kenya (1920–1963)

• Robert William Lyall-Grant (1920–1925)^[4]
• Ivan Llewelyn Owen Gower (1925–1926) (acting)
• Sir Walter Huggard (1926–1929)
• Sir Alisdair Duncan Atholl MacGregor (1929–1934)
• Walter Harragin (1933–1941)^[5]
• Sir Stafford W.P. Foster Sutton (1944–1948)^[6]
• Sir Kenneth O'Connor (1948–)^[7]
• John Whyatt (1951–1955)^[8]
• Sir Eric Newton Griffiths-Jones (1955–)^[9]
• Diarmaid William Conroy (–1960) (acting)
• Sir Eric Newton Griffiths-Jones (1960–1963)^[10]

Attorneys General of Kenya (since 1963)

• Charles Mugane Njonjo (1963–1979)^[11]
• James B. Karugu (1980–1981)^[11]
• Joseph Kamere (1981–1983)^[11]
• Matthew Guy Muli (1983–1991)^[11]
• Amos Wako (1991–2011)^[11]
• Githu Muigai (2011–2018)^[11]
• Paul Kihara Kariuki (2018–2022)
• Justin Muturi (2022–2024)
• Dorcas Agik Oduor (2024-)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Management Profile: The Hon Attorney General . Attorney-general.go.ke . 2011-08-29 . 2013-01-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110400/http://www.attorney-general.go.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60:the-hon-attorney-general-&catid=37:management-profile&Itemid=56 . 2016-03-04 . dead .
2. Web site: Githinji . George . 2018-07-09 . Role and Functions of the Attorney General in Kenya . 2023-08-23 . AfroCave . en-KE.
3. Kenya Gazette 4 Mar 1914
4. Kenya Gazette 13 Apr 1921
5. Kenya Gazette - 19 Feb 1935
6. Web site: Stafford Foster-Sutton - NigerianWiki.
7. News: Kenya Gazette. 4 January 1949.
8. Web site: Institute of Current World Affairs. Institute of Current World Affairs. 27 September 2015. 30 August 1953.
9. Britain and Kenya's Constitutions, 1950–1960
10. Kenya Gazette 10 Jan 1961
11. Book: Oloka-Onyango, J. When Courts Do Politics: Public Interest Law and Litigation in East Africa. 280.