Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu is the third woman to serve in the nation’s highest court since its inception in 2010.
She took the oath of office on October 2016, succeeding Justice Kalpana Rawal. Sheer determination and discipline is what she says got her the top job.
Before her appointment as the DCJ, Mwilu first served in the Commercial Division of the High Court in Nairobi and later the High Court in Eldoret.
She was transferred to Nairobi, where she served at the Criminal Division and subsequently headed the Environment and Land Division of the High Court.
In November 2012, following a competitive selection process, she was elevated to the Court of Appeal.
Mwilu has over 33 years of experience in the legal profession and holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Nairobi.
She graduated from the University of Nairobi and was admitted as an advocate of the High Court of Kenya in 1984.
The judge was among other majority judges – Chief Justice David Maraga, Isaac Lenaola and Smokin Wanjala – who nullified the August 8 presidential election.
Mwilu, who read the majority judgment, said the Supreme Court judges concluded that the IEBC election transmission system was compromised and data interfered with. It was that interference that led to nullification of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s win.