Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga and special prosecutor James Muruthi Kihara are among 146 advocates seeking elevation to the rank of Senior Counsel in the 2026 conferment process.
The list published by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) also includes Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Jacinta Nyamosi, as applicants seek recognition for their professional standing, experience and service to the legal profession.
The candidates will undergo an assessment to determine whether they meet the requirements for one of Kenya’s most prestigious professional distinctions.
Kihara, whose career spans criminal prosecution, commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution, is among the applicants with experience across different areas of legal practice.
He was among three lawyers prequalified in 2018 to provide specialised legal services to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, alongside former DPP Philip Murgor and lawyer Taib Ali Taib.
The appointments were intended to strengthen the office’s capacity to handle complex criminal cases. The three were subsequently reappointed as public prosecutors in 2020.
Kihara has prosecuted high-profile cases involving former Nairobi governors Mike Sonko and Evans Kidero, as well as Onyango Oloo in the Lake Basin Mall case.
His experience also includes commercial disputes involving the Kenya Pipeline Company and the Mombasa-Nairobi pipeline.
Beyond litigation, Kihara has held leadership positions in arbitration and public-private partnership dispute resolution.
He previously chaired the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Kenya Branch, and served on the board of the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration as an LSK representative.
He also chaired the Public-Private Partnerships Petitions Committee, which handles disputes arising from public-private partnership projects.
Kihara holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi, a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Pune in India and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Delhi University.
He has also undertaken specialised training in arbitration, governance and public-private partnerships.
His professional recognition includes a place in The Legal 500’s Arbitration Powerlist Africa 2021 and the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) award.
Other applicants on the list include former National Assembly Clerk Samuel K. Chepkong’a, former Senate Speaker Shadrack Mose, criminal lawyer Kiraithe Wandugi, James Gitau Sigh and former Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission director Judith Shamallah.
If successful, Kihara would join advocates who have already received the Senior Counsel designation, including Murgor, who served as Director of Public Prosecutions between 2003 and 2005.
The rank recognises advocates who demonstrate exceptional professional standing, integrity and service to the legal profession and public service.
Section 17 of the Advocates Act empowers the President to confer the designation on advocates of irreproachable professional conduct who have rendered exemplary service to the legal profession and public service in Kenya.
The Advocates (Senior Counsel Conferment and Privileges) Rules, 2011, outline additional eligibility requirements.
Applicants must have practised as advocates of the High Court for at least 15 years, meet the applicable requirements on practising certificates, and demonstrate sound knowledge of the law and professional competence.
They must also demonstrate integrity and good character, have no finding of professional misconduct by the relevant disciplinary body, and have argued a substantive matter before a superior, regional or international court.
The assessment also considers active legal practice, mentorship and training of other practitioners, service to the LSK or another recognised bar association, community service, and contributions to legal scholarship through writing and presentations.
The Committee on Senior Counsel examines applications and supporting evidence before making recommendations. The Chief Justice then forwards the recommended names to the President, who formally confers the designation on successful candidates.
