In Kenya’s legal corridors, a cynical phrase has gained traction: “jurispesa”—the idea that some lawyers win high-profile cases less through the strength of their arguments than through the invisible hand of political and financial influence. Yet in the middle of this cloud of suspicion stands Senior Counsel Katwa Kigen, whose career reads less like a tale of whispered deals and more like a relentless masterclass in dismantling prosecutions, statute by statute, in the clear light of day.
Who Is Katwa Kigen?
Kigen is no courtroom lightweight. Educated at the University of Nairobi (LLB, Hons) and later earning a Master of Laws (LLM, 2012), he was admitted to the Bar in 1996 after graduating from the Kenya School of Law. Today, he is a partner at Katwa & Kemboy Advocates, with a 21-year track record of complex litigation, arbitration, constitutional petitions, and criminal defence.
He has argued before virtually every judicial forum available to a Kenyan lawyer: the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, specialized tribunals, the East African Court of Justice, and even the ICC in The Hague.
Landmark Cases
ICC: William Ruto & Joshua Sang
Kigen first drew international attention as part of the team defending William Ruto (then Deputy President, now President) and journalist Joshua Sang at the International Criminal Court. By challenging jurisdiction and exposing weaknesses in the prosecution’s case, Kigen helped tilt the scales toward collapse—the case was withdrawn in 2016.
Jacque Maribe Murder Trial
Kigen again stepped into the national spotlight when he defended Jacque Maribe, accused of complicity in the murder of Monica Kimani. He meticulously exposed gaps in the prosecution—no motive, no forensic evidence, no credible witnesses—leading to Maribe’s acquittal in 2024.
Treasury CS Henry Rotich
When former Treasury CS Henry Rotich was accused of presiding over the Sh63 billion Arror and Kimwarer dam scandal, Kigen’s defence pounced on procedural lapses. The case collapsed in 2023 after the prosecution failed to produce key witnesses.
The Baragoi Massacre Case
Kigen represented MPs accused of incitement after the Baragoi massacre, successfully having improperly framed charges dismissed in 2020.
Defending Kericho Governor in Senate & County Assembly
Perhaps one of his most striking demonstrations of courtroom and political acumen was in the impeachment proceedings of the Governor of Kericho, where he led a formidable legal team through both the County Assembly and the Senate. With a strategy built on constitutional interpretation and procedural rigor, the defence dismantled the charges point by point, securing the Governor’s survival.
In a rare moment of collegial acknowledgment, Kigen credited the victory not just to his own craft but to the combined efforts of colleagues: Peter Wanyama, Wanjiku Thiongo, Tunen Manasseh, Doris Ngeno, and Joash Mitei. “It was a good one. Congratulations team,” he noted, underscoring that some courtroom wins are truly collective battles.
The Constant Thread
What makes Katwa Kigen stand out in a legal landscape often tainted by whispers of money and power is his unflinching reliance on law as weapon and shield. Unlike the “jurispesa” stereotype, his triumphs—from The Hague to Kericho—have consistently been forged in open court through rigorous debate, meticulous attention to evidence, and an ability to expose the weakest joints in the prosecution’s armour.
In short, while Kenya’s public may remain sceptical of how justice is dispensed at the top, Katwa Kigen’s career suggests that sometimes—just sometimes—the law itself can still be enough.
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