Lady Justice Hannah Magondi Okwengu is a judge of the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

in Nairobi.

Education and early career

Okwengu was born in Honge Beach (Yimbo West, near

Kisumu Kisumu ( ) is the third-largest city in Kenya located in the Lake Victoria area in the former Nyanza Province. It is the second-largest city after Kampala in the Lake Victoria Basin. The city has a population of slightly over 600,000. The ...

). She graduated law school at

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...

in 1979. She began work as a Land Registrar in

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

and for three years she was an advocate with the Municipal Council of Mombasa. After less than a year at a law firm she joined the Judiciary as an acting Resident Magistrate in October 1983. Justice Okwengu was a Chief Magistrate by 1999. She then became the Assistant Director of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Authority when she was appointed by President

Daniel Moi Daniel Toroitich arap Moi ( ; 2 September 1924 – 4 February 2020) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He is the country's longest-serving president to date. Moi previously served as the thi ...

for a five year term. She served as Chief Magistrate in Mombasa, Nakuru, and Nairobi, and was the Judge in Charge of the Mombasa Law Court. She became the President for four years of the

International Association of Women Judges The International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) is a non-profit non governmental organization founded in 1991 whose members are judges from around the world committed to equal justice for women. History The IAWJ was founded in 1991 after fif ...

Kenya Chapter. She represents East and Southern Africa at the IAWJ. In 2017 at an IAWJ meeting she called for special courts to tackle rape and other sexual and gender based violence.

Personal life

Married, with two sons, two daughters and seven grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okwengu, Hannah Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century Kenyan judges 21st-century Kenyan judges Kenyan women judges 20th-century women judges 21st-century women judges

Education and early career

Personal life

See also

References