High Court Judge David Majanja is dead

High Court Judge David Majanja died on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, at Nairobi Hospital where he was receiving treatment. The cause of death is yet to be established.

Chief Justice Martha Koome expressed her condolences on behalf of the Judiciary and JSC, saying they are all heartbroken following the news of Majanja's death.

"Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, colleagues, and the entire Judiciary and JSC fraternity during this time of deep sorrow and sadness. Justice Majanja will be remembered as a towering figure in the development of our transformative post-2010 jurisprudence and a crucial pillar in the institution-building of the JSC and the Judiciary," she said.

I have learnt with great sorrow about the death of the Hon. David A S Majanja, who was a judge of the High Court of Kenya, and a member of the Judicial Service Commission, which occurred earlier today.

The Hon. Majanja was a brilliant lawyer who joined the Bench after an… pic.twitter.com/TiKlB9VSG6

— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) July 11, 2024

While mourning his demise, Law Society of Kenya President Faith Odhiambo said Justice Majanja's contributions to the country and commitment to upholding standards of excellence in Judicial service formed a remarkable legacy which will be greatly remembered.

"It is a profoundly sad day for Kenya and the legal fraternity as we have lost one of the fine minds on our bench. His studious contributions to our country's Jurisprudence and commitment to uphold standards of excellence in Judicial service formed a remarkable legacy for which he will be fondly remembered and greatly missed," she said.

Career journey

Majanja was first appointed as Judge of the High Court in 2011 and was until his death stationed at the Milimani Civil Division court.

He was sworn-in as a member of the Judicial Service Commission on May 28, 2024. This was after he was re-elected to represent the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA) on JSC.

Justice Majanja was first elected to the JSC on May 14, 2019, for a five-year term, after Judge Aggrey Muchelule's five-year tenure as JSC male representative ended on April 4, 2019.

Before his re-election, Justice Majanja served as the chairperson of the Human Resource Management Committee and a member of the Audit.

He was also the chairperson of the Governance and Risk Management Committee and the Learning and Development Committee.

Justice Majanja attended the Hill School, in Eldoret and the Alliance High School. He held a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from the University of Pretoria and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Nairobi.

He was also part of the judges who declared the housing levy null and void. Majanja alongside judges Christine Meoli, and Lawrence Mugambi had termed the housing levy as discriminatory.

He earned his Post Graduate Diploma in Law at the Kenya School of Law and was admitted to the Bar in 1998.

He worked for Mohammed and Muigai Advocates and Onyango and Ohaga Advocates before founding Majanja Luseno and Company Advocates in 2007.

Justice Majanja practiced law specialising in Civil and Commercial Law and was also involved in public interest litigation.

He was an assisting Counsel for the Commission of Inquiry into the Post-Election Violence popularly known as the Waki Commission.

He was also previously the presiding Judge at Homa Bay and Migori High Courts and was until his death the vice chairperson of the Judiciary Committee on Elections.