Hon. Lady Justice Philomena Mbete Mwilu

The Hon. Lady Justice Philomena Mbete Mwilu, MGH,

The Hon. Lady Justice Philomena Mbete Mwilu, was appointed on 28^th October 2016 as the 3^rd Deputy Chief Justice and Vice President of the Supreme Court of Kenya. The Hon. Lady Justice P. M. Mwilu is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with over 37 years of experience in the legal profession and holds both Bachelor and Master of Laws degrees from the University of Nairobi. She was admitted as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya in 1984.

She was in private legal practice in various law firms in Nairobi for the first seven years following her admission to the Bar. Thereafter she ventured into the corporate world working as a Senior Legal Officer in insurance; Board Secretary in charge of the day-to-day running of a State Corporation in regulation; the Deputy Chairperson of the Energy Tribunal; and later as Director on the Board of the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company before being appointed a Puisne Judge in 2007.

Hon. Lady Justice P. M. Mwilu served in the Commercial Division of the High Court in Nairobi and later the High Court in Eldoret. She subsequently served at the Criminal Division High Court in Nairobi and thereafter was appointed to head the Environment and Land Division. In November 2012, she was appointed a Judge of Appeal where she served until her appointment as the Deputy Chief Justice.

On 3^rd May, 2017 she was elected by her colleague Justices of the Supreme Court to represent them as a Commissioner at the Judicial Service Commission. Her Ladyship was appointed by the Hon. the Chief Justice to serve as the Judiciary Ombudsman and the Chair of the Implementation Monitoring Committee of the Sustaining Judiciary Transformation (SJT): A Service Delivery Agenda 2017 – 2021, the Honourable the Chief Justice’s five-year strategic blueprint for the institution. Upon the retirement of Chief Justice Emeritus Hon. Mr. Justice David K. Maraga on 12^th January, 2021, Lady Justice Mwilu assumed the Office of Chief Justice in acting capacity pending the recruitment and appointment of the Hon. Justice Martha Koome.

In the discharge of her social responsibility, Lady Justice Mwilu has passionately role-modelled for the girl child and has actively mentored many girls and boys in secondary schools across the Republic of Kenya by attending their schools and giving much needed guidance. She has actively participated in church events, including assisting in the construction of churches, as well as in charity events. For her service to society, the Deputy Chief Justice was decorated on 11^th April, 2017 by the Head of State, H. E. Uhuru Kenyatta with the award of Moran of the Golden Heart.

Lady Justice Mwilu is a mother.