Judge Joel Ngugi

Joel Ngugi

Judge, Court of Appeal, Kisumu, Kenya & Chair, Keyna Steering Committee for the Implementation of the Alternative Justice Systems Policy

Joel Ngugi was born in Kenya where he earned his Bachelor of Laws, from the University of Nairobi in 1996. In addition to receiving academic honors, he excelled in leadership, serving as the National President of the Kenya Law Students Society. After practicing law for two years, Ngugi went to Harvard Law School where he earned his Master of Laws (LL.M) and his Doctor of Juridical Sciences (S.J.D.; Ph.D. equivalent). For his doctoral thesis on legal and economic development, Ngugi was the co-winner of the John Gallup Laylin Prize in International Law. While a student at Harvard, he also served as a legal officer for the United National Mission in Kosovo, and served as a research associate at the World Bank. 

He joined the University of Washington as an Assistant Professor of Law in 2004. Ngugi won the Philip A. Trautman 1L Professor of the Year award in his first year (and again in 2010-22). He published law review articles and book chapters on international law, the World Bank and ideologies of reform in international development, and neo-liberalism and land registration regimes. Based on his outstanding teaching and scholarship, he was quickly promoted to Associate Professor in 2008. 

Ngugi’s reach at UW stretched far beyond the School of Law. He chaired the African Studies Program, located in the Jackson School of International Studies, from 2008 to 2011. He twice led popular undergraduate study abroad programs to Kenya. Ngugi was an invaluable link between the law school and other parts of campus, and an inspired leader.  

In 2011, Ngugi accepted an appointment to the Kenyan judiciary as a Judge of the High Court and moved back to Kenya. In 2022, he was elevated to be a Judge of Appeal. He also presently serves as the Chair of the National Steering Committee for the Implementation of the Alternative Justice Systems Policy. As a High Court Judge, he served as the Head of Judiciary Transformation Secretariat and former Director of the Kenya Judiciary Academy (KJA). He has been recognized for his commitment to improving the judiciary, defending the country’s constitution, and developing alternative justice systems to better ensure the human rights and dignity of all Kenyans. He has also given many lectures on judicial transformation at universities and academic conferences in the United States, Kenya, and other countries in Africa and Europe.  

Over his thirteen years in the Kenyan judiciary, Ngugi has impacted two areas of the law beyond his work as a presiding judge. The first is in training judges and reforming the judiciary, and the second is in developing and implementing alternative forms of justice as envisioned by Kenya’s progressive 2010 constitution. To Kenyans and the international human rights community, Ngugi is best known as the primary author of the 2021 BBI decision that put the brakes on executive overreach by then President Uhuru Kenyatta. 

In 2022, the International Commission of Jurists named Ngugi Kenya’s Jurist of the Year, citing the BBI case among other landmark decisions as well as his dedication to promoting ongoing judicial education for judges. With characteristic humility, Ngugi said this when accepting the honor: “This is not my award; it is an award for the ordinary Kenyan who defends the constitution and lives its ideals every day without even mentioning it by name. I’m just their go-between.” Last year, Transparency International honored Ngugi with a National Integrity Award.