The vetting process scheduled by the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee has been suspended after Duncan Oburu Ojwang, President William Ruto’s choice for Chairperson of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), declined the nomination.
He declined the nomination just days after his name was forwarded to Parliament for vetting.
In a letter to National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, Ojwang cited personal reasons and a potential conflict of interest as the reasons for his decision.
In a communication to the National Assembly on Tuesday, Wetang’ula said that he had received a letter from Ojwang “respectfully” declining the offer, citing personal reasons and a perceived conflict of interest.
“In light of the foregoing, the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs is directed to cease any further consideration of the nominee,” Wetang’ula told MPs.
He also directed the Clerk of the National Assembly to notify the relevant authority immediately of this development.
Ojwang was nominated by the President on August 5, 2025, and his name and curriculum vitae were referred to the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee for vetting.
This followed a competitive selection process.
He was one of six candidates shortlisted in May from a pool of 17 applicants.
Ojwang is a distinguished legal scholar and human rights expert who served as Dean of the School of Law at Africa Nazarene University from 2017 until January 2023.
He has also lectured at the University of Nairobi, specialising in constitutional law, human rights, environmental law and law and development.
He holds a PhD in Law and Policy from the University of Arizona, an LL.M. in International Human Rights Law from Indiana University and a Juris Doctor from Southern Illinois University School of Law. He also has a background in psychology, having obtained a bachelor’s degree in the subject from Indiana University.
Outside of academia, he has participated in election observation missions with the African Union, contributed to the Tumaini peace mediation process in South Sudan and served on the technical team of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO).
However, his nomination faced legal opposition from the Katiba Institute and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), who argued that it breached Article 250(II) of the Constitution. This article forbids the appointment of a chairperson and vice-chairperson of the same gender to a constitutional commission.
As the current vice-chairperson, Raymond Nyeris, is male, the petitioners claimed that the nomination was unconstitutional. The High Court is scheduled to mention the case on September 17.
By declining the appointment, Ojwang has ended the current vetting process, leaving the government to identify a new nominee for the KNCHR chairperson.
