When the Judicial Service Commission announced its shortlist of nominees for appointment to the Court of Appeal, prominent names included Lady Justice Hedwig Ong’udi, Justice Enock Mwita and Justice Mathews Nduma. Notably absent, however, was Prof. Migai Akech. Despite this, his appearance before the panel quickly drew national attention for its probing approach, calm intellectual confidence and ability to reframe doctrinal questions within broader debates on governance and institutional accountability. 

Prof. Akech is a distinguished Kenyan legal scholar and practitioner whose work has significantly shaped discourse on administrative law, constitutional governance and institutional accountability. He graduated with First Class Honours in Law from the University of Nairobi and later pursued advanced studies at the University of Cambridge and New York University School of Law. Over more than two decades at the University of Nairobi School of Law, he has combined rigorous scholarship with teaching, mentoring and research focused on constraining state power and promoting transparent governance. 

Beyond academia, Prof. Akech has advised governments and multilateral institutions on constitutional, regulatory and anti-corruption reforms. His contributions include work on the Judiciary’s Bail and Bond Policy Guidelines and advisory roles on trade regulation and governance projects across Africa. He also leads a legal practice specialising in trade regulation, competition law and regulatory compliance, while remaining actively engaged in professional and arbitration bodies. His inaugural lecture, Taming the Tyranny of the Barons, underscored his enduring commitment to the law as a tool for accountable and participatory governance.