The planned swearing in of the newly appointed National Land Commission Chairperson and Commissioners was postponed on Thursday, with Supreme Court officials saying the Chief Justice, as well as her deputy, were not available.
"We are not able to proceed with swearing in because the chief justice and deputy chief justice are not available," an official from the Supreme Court who identified himself as Martin told those present.
The court official said the commissioners, NLC CEO Kabale Tache and former chairperson Gershom Otachi had been briefed about the unavailability of Chief Justice Martha Koome and Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu.
According to the invite, the Chief Justice was to preside over the event.
Those present included family members as well as senior officials from NLC.
The immediate former chair of NLC Gershom Otachi was also present.
The Supreme Court did not disclose when the exercise will proceed.
The swearing-in that was to take place at the Supreme Court Building was to take place hours after President William Ruto appointed Abdillahi Saggaf Alawy as the new chairperson of the National Land Commission (NLC), alongside six commissioners who will serve for a six-year term.
The appointments were published in the Kenya Gazette on Thursday, March 12, 2026, formally giving legal effect to the nominations following their approval by the National Assembly of Kenya.
According to the gazette notice, the appointments were made under Article 250(2)(c) of the Constitution and in line with Section 7(2) of the National Land Commission Act (Cap. 281), which outlines the legal framework for constituting the commission.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 250 (2) (c) of the Constitution as read with Section 7 (2) of the National Land Commission and Paragraph 8 of the First Schedule to the Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint Abdullahi Saggaff Alway (Dr) to be the Chairman of the National Land Commission for a term of six (6) years,” the gazette notice read in part.
The same notice confirmed the appointment of six commissioners who will serve alongside the chairperson in managing the affairs of the constitutional body.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 250 (2) (c) of the Constitution as read with section 7 (2) of the National Land Commission and Paragraph 8 of the First Schedule to the Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint Susan Kihika Oyatsi, Daniel Murithi Muiruri, Kigen Vincent Cheruiyot, Julie Ouma Oseko, (Dr) Mohamed Abdi Haji Mohamed, and Mary Jiane Sentei to be Members of the National Land Commission for a term of six (6) years,” the notice added.
The commissioners include Susan Kihika Oyatsi from Kakamega County, Daniel Murithi Muiruri from Meru County, Kigen Vincent Cheruiyot from Kericho County, Julie Ouma Oseko from Siaya County, Mohamed Abdi Haji Mohamed from Mandera County, and Mary Jiane Sentei from Kajiado County.
The gazettement effectively marks the formal constitution of the commission after the nominees were vetted and approved by the National Assembly, as required by law.
The National Land Commission is one of Kenya’s independent constitutional commissions tasked with managing public land on behalf of national and county governments, advising on land policy and investigating historical land injustices.
With the appointments now formalised, the new commissioners are expected to assume office and begin executing their mandate, including overseeing land administration processes, resolving land-related disputes, and supporting reforms aimed at improving land governance in the country.
The constitution of the commission is expected to strengthen the oversight and management of land resources, a sector that has historically been at the centre of legal and political disputes in Kenya.
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