Kenya’s Judicial Service Commission has trimmed a crowded field of applicants for senior judicial positions, shortlisting 185 candidates whose interviews will begin early next year. The announcement, published in a gazette notice on 14 November, marks a major step in a long recruitment process expected to reshape the upper tiers of the country’s courts.
The positions include Judges of the Court of Appeal, the High Court, and the Environment and Land Court. The commission received 714 applications after inviting submissions in June. Only a quarter of them made it through to the next stage.
According to the commission’s secretary, Winfridah Mokaya, 35 candidates were shortlisted for the Court of Appeal, 100 for the High Court and 50 for the Environment and Land Court. But the number of available positions is far smaller. Only 15 judges will be appointed to the Court of Appeal, 20 to the High Court and 10 to the Environment and Land Court.
In the notice, Ms Mokaya explained the next steps. “The Judicial Service Commission advertised the underlisted positions and invited applications from qualified persons wishing to be considered,” she wrote. She added that interviews would run from 12 January to 23 March 2026 at the JSC Boardroom at the CBK Pension Towers in Nairobi.
The commission has also opened a window for the public to share information about any of the shortlisted candidates. Members of the public may submit their comments in person, by email or through postal mail. The notice emphasised that the JSC may interview anyone who submits relevant information and that such contributions will remain confidential.
The invitation is part of a longstanding effort to make judicial appointments more transparent. A Nairobi lawyer who has followed previous selection processes said the public participation element is “a useful safeguard” but noted that it relies heavily on citizens feeling confident enough to come forward. “People want to trust the system,” he said. “When the JSC asks for public input, it signals that accountability matters.”
With interviews stretching over several weeks and only 45 positions available, the competition is expected to be tight. The JSC reiterated that it is an equal-opportunity employer and reminded applicants and the public that its recruitment services are free of charge — a message aimed at deterring fraudsters who often exploit major hiring exercises.
For now, the shortlisted candidates face months of preparation ahead of some of the most closely watched judicial interviews in recent years.
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