“She is the vice-chairperson of the Kenya Law Reform Commission and former chairperson of FIDA. She is an advocate of the High Court and practised law for over three decades,” explained Prof Mango, adding that in the two candidates, the Judicial Service Commission had seen the attributes they were looking for when they started the interviews two weeks ago.

Other candidates interviewed for the post of Chief Justice were Court of Appeal judges Riaga Omollo, Samuel Bosire, Alnasir Visram and Joseph Nyamu.

From the High Court were Justices Kihara Kariuki, Msagha Mbogholi, Mary Ang’awa and Kalpana Rawal. Also interviewed was ICTR judge Lee Muthoga.

In a conversation with Saturday Nation before the interviews began, two members of the Judicial Service Commission described the list of applicants as “embarrassing” and indicated that the scales were in Dr Mutunga’s favour.

“The post is for Dr Mutunga to lose,” one of them said.

“Some members of the Bench have not appreciated the reality that the new Constitution gave birth to a new order which requires new hands and ideas.”