Mohamed Warsame sworn in as Supreme Court judge
By Aloys Michael, May 7, 2026President William Ruto has formally sworn in Justice Mohamed Warsame as a judge of the Supreme Court.
The ceremony took place in the State House, Nairobi, on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
Warsame was formally appointed Justice Warsame through a Gazette notice dated May 5, 2026, and now he becomes the 14th judge of the country’s apex court, following the Judiciary’s decision to fill the vacancy left by Justice Mohammed Ibrahim, who died in December 2025.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 166 (1) (b) of the Constitution of Kenya, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint Justice Mohamed Abdullahi Warsame to be Judge of the Supreme Court of Kenya,” the notice read.
Warsame had earlier been nominated by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on April 29, 2026, after a competitive recruitment process conducted to fill the position left vacant following Justice Ibrahim’s death.
In announcing the nomination, the commission said it had concluded deliberations on candidates who had applied for the position of Judge of the Supreme Court of Kenya.
The nomination was subsequently forwarded to the President for formal appointment in line with Article 166(1)(a) of the Constitution.
The vacancy was declared on January 13, 2026, and advertised on January 28, 2026.
According to the JSC, six applications were received, with five candidates shortlisted for interviews before Justice Warsame emerged as the successful nominee.
The interviews were conducted on April 28 and 29, 2026, at the Milimani Law Courts and were open to the public, with live broadcast coverage allowing members of the public to follow the proceedings in real time.
The commission said the process was conducted in line with constitutional and statutory requirements and was guided by principles of merit, integrity, fairness, inclusivity and regional balance.
Before the interviews, the JSC engaged a wide range of stakeholders drawn from the legal profession, academia, civil society, faith-based organisations, the Judiciary, the media and government. Members of the public were also invited to submit information of interest relating to the candidates.
Comprehensive background checks and vetting were undertaken in collaboration with relevant constitutional bodies and security agencies.
Justice Warsame holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Nairobi and a Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law.
Before his appointment to the Court of Appeal of Kenya in 2012, Justice Warsame served as a High Court Judge in the Commercial Division, Criminal Division and was also in charge of the Judicial Review Division of the High Court.