Chief Justice David Maraga, announced on the morning of 26th December 2020 the death of former Chief Justice Evans Gicheru who served from 2003 to 2011 before handing over to Dr. Willy Mutunga.
In his statement Justice Maraga said “I am deeply saddened to announce the demise of Retired Chief Justice Evan Gicheru which occurred this morning.”
Maraga who is on leave pending retirement praised the departed Chief Justice for bringing honour to the Office of the Chief Justice by ensuring that it became the undisputable custodian of integrity within the Judiciary.
Gicheru who took over from Benard Chunga in 2003 started working in the public service as a District Officer in Wajir then worked in teh office of teh Attornery General before joining teh Judiciary as a Judge of the High Court of Kenya.
Gicheru will be remembered for his role in the Robert Ouko Commission of Inquiry which was disbanded before it could finalize its findings. He is also famous for his controversial night swearing of former President Mwai Kibaki on 30th November 2017 for a contested 2nd term which triggered Post Election Violence.
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga who was aggrieved by Gicheru’s decision as however praised Gicheru as a “great legal mind and the man on whose shoulders we placed the burden of returning the country to the Rule of Law after the 2002 transition. He did his best under difficult circumstances.”
