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‘Lucky’ lawyer lands IEBC panel post

Wednesday, April 28th, 2021 01:27 | By
Dr.Elizabeth Muli.

Eric Wainaina and Geoffrey Mosoku 

The profile of Dorothy Jemator, the lawyer who has been selected to sit on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) select-panel, gives the impression of a lucky or a well-connected attorney in government and political circles.

In the panel, she represents the Law Society of Kenya (LSK).

Jemator, who was admitted to the bar in 2010, has in the last four years sat in high-profile government tribunals, and was also part of the technical experts in the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) steering committee. 

In a Gazette Notice dated April 26, 2021, Uhuru named Jemator, former Constitutional Implementation Commission vice chair Elizabeth Muli, Gideon Solonka, James Awuori, Elizabeth Odundo, Joseph Mutie and Farudin Abdalla as members of the panel.

The panel will nominate replacements for the four IEBC commissioners who resigned in 2017 and 2018.

Jemator’s nomination by a LSK faction led chief executive Mercy Wambua sparked fireworks in the council, with embattled president Nelson Havi objecting. He instead nominated Morris Mutua.

“Dorothy Jemator should continue serving the Jubilee and ODM parties and the Government of Kenya in the Energy and Petroleum Tribunal; the HIV/Aids Tribunal; and the BBI Steering Committee.

A State officer cannot serve as an appointee of the LSK in the Selection Panel,” Havi said.

Lawyer Sheila Murugi Mugo also moved to court seeking orders barring Jemator from being a member on grounds of unsuitability because she sits in two state tribunals and is a member of the BBI steering committee.

Petroleum tribunal

In a short period, the lawyer has landed high-profile appointments in government agencies. 

For instance, on May 23, 2019, Attorney General Kihara Kariuki appointed Jemator a member of the HIV and Aids Tribunal for a period of three years.

On March 3, 2020, the Cabinet Secretary for Energy Charles Keter appointed her a member of the Energy and Petroleum Tribunal also for a three-year period.

She also served in the BBI steering committee which gave birth to the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill 2020.

She has previously interacted with IEBC professionally. In a dispute she filed in court pitting her against T/A Mereka & Company Advocates that she worked for until 2015, Jemator says she helped  the law firm get jobs with the electoral body and also sourced legal briefs including election petitions. She was demanding Sh701,922 for her role.

But on May 6, 2020, Justice Nelson Abuodha of the Employment and Labour Relations Court dismissed the case on grounds that Mereka did not violate her employment terms.

Jemator is the Nairobi Representative of the LSK, and is a managing partner at Chepkuto Advocates.

Muli, a holder of doctorate in Law from Stanford Law University, has also been a senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi School of Law.

Muli and Solonka were picked from a pool of seven names given by the majority wing in Parliament.

She also sits on the Commission for University Education  representing private universities.

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