The Director of Public Prosecutions, Renson Ingonga, and special prosecutor James Muruthi Kihara are among 146 advocates who have applied for the Senior Counsel rank in Kenya's 2026 conferment round, according to The Star, Kenya. The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) published the list of applicants, who will now be assessed against the criteria for one of the country's highest professional honours.
The roster also names Jacinta Nyamosi, a Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, among those seeking the designation. The Star, Kenya reports that the candidates face an evaluation of their professional standing, experience and service to the legal profession before any are recommended for conferment.
Why it matters
Senior Counsel is a mark of distinction reserved for advocates judged to have built exceptional careers and to have served both the law and the public with integrity. The list's composition is notable because it mixes serving state prosecutors with private practitioners, former parliamentary officials and anti-corruption figures, reflecting how widely the honour is pursued across Kenya's legal sector.
For the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the presence of its head and senior officers on the list places the institution itself in the spotlight. The outcome will be read as a signal of how the profession regards the leadership of public prosecution, an office that handles some of the country's most sensitive criminal cases.
The process also carries weight because the rank is conferred under statute. Section 17 of the Advocates Act gives the President the power to grant the designation to advocates whose professional conduct is beyond reproach and who have given exemplary service to the profession and to public service in Kenya, The Star, Kenya reports.
A prosecutor with a broad practice
Kihara's application rests on a career that has stretched across criminal prosecution, commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution, according to The Star, Kenya.
He was one of three lawyers prequalified in 2018 to offer specialised legal services to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, alongside former DPP Philip Murgor and advocate Taib Ali Taib. The arrangement was meant to bolster the office's ability to take on complex criminal matters, and the three were reappointed as public prosecutors in 2020.
His prosecution record includes high-profile cases against former Nairobi governors Mike Sonko and Evans Kidero, and against Onyango Oloo in the Lake Basin Mall matter. He has also handled commercial disputes involving the Kenya Pipeline Company and the Mombasa-Nairobi pipeline.
Beyond the courtroom, Kihara has led bodies dealing with arbitration and disputes arising from public-private partnerships. He previously chaired the Kenya Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and sat on the board of the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration as the LSK's representative. He also chaired the Public-Private Partnerships Petitions Committee, which resolves disagreements stemming from such projects.
His academic background includes a Master of Laws from the University of Nairobi, a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Pune in India and a Bachelor of Commerce from Delhi University, The Star, Kenya reports. He has undertaken further training in arbitration, governance and public-private partnerships, and his honours include a place on The Legal 500's Arbitration Powerlist Africa 2021 and the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW).
Should he succeed, Kihara would join the ranks of existing Senior Counsel, among them Murgor, who led the Directorate of Public Prosecutions between 2003 and 2005.
Who else is on the list
The applicant pool extends well beyond the prosecution service. The Star, Kenya reports that it includes Samuel K. Chepkong'a, a former Clerk of the National Assembly, and Shadrack Mose, a former Speaker of the Senate. Criminal lawyer Kiraithe Wandugi, advocate James Gitau Sigh and Judith Shamallah, a former director at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, also appear.
Coverage of the list by other Kenyan outlets, including Daily Nation, Citizen Digital, The Standard and Tuko News, highlighted additional names such as Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, governors and advocates including Faith Odhiambo and Danstan Omari. This article relies on the details published by The Star, Kenya.
The bar applicants must clear
The Advocates (Senior Counsel Conferment and Privileges) Rules, 2011 set out what applicants must show, according to The Star, Kenya. They must have practised as advocates of the High Court for no fewer than 15 years and satisfy the requirements on practising certificates. They must also demonstrate a sound grasp of the law and professional competence.
Integrity and good character are part of the test, as is a clean record with the relevant disciplinary body — no finding of professional misconduct may stand against an applicant. Each candidate must also have argued a substantive matter before a superior, regional or international court.
The assessment looks further than courtroom work. It weighs whether an advocate is in active practice, how they have mentored and trained other lawyers, and what they have contributed to the LSK or another recognised bar association. Community service counts, as does a record of legal scholarship through writing and presentations.
The Committee on Senior Counsel reviews the applications and the supporting evidence before making its recommendations. The Chief Justice then passes the recommended names to the President, who formally confers the designation on those who make the cut.
What happens next: the committee's scrutiny of the 146 files will determine which names reach the Chief Justice and, ultimately, the President for conferment.
