Rebecca Miano poised to break new ground as Kenya's first female Attorney-General

The nomination of Rebecca Miano as the next Attorney-General is a major boost for women, who now hold a grip in the justice sector.

If approved by Parliament, Ms Miano will join Chief Justice Martha Koome, who is also the chair of the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ), which brings together state and non-state actors in the justice sector.

The Supreme Court, which achieved the one-third gender rule, has CJ Koome, Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu, and Justice Njoki Ndung’u at the apex court. Other women holding key positions in the country are Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu and Controller of Budget Ms Margaret Nyakang’o, who head two independent offices, as well as the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) chairperson Lyn Mengich.

First woman

Ms Miano will become the country’s ninth Attorney-General if MPs endorse her nomination. She will be the first woman to hold the position, with all previous holders being male, including the first Attorney-General Charles Mugane Njonjo, who held the position from independence in 1963 to 1979. He was replaced by Mr James Karugu, the man who served the office the shortest in 1981 and was followed by Mr Joseph Kamere, who was Attorney-General between 1981 and 1983. Mr Matthew Guy Muli served from 1983 to 1991 and was succeeded by Mr Amos Wako, who served the longest from 1991 to 2011.

Prof Githu Muigai was the first Attorney-General after the promulgation of the constitution and served from 2011 to April 2018, when he was replaced by Justice (retired) Kihara Kariuki, who was in office from 2018 to 2022.

When the Kenya Kwanza administration came into office, President William Ruto appointed the former Speaker of the National Assembly, Justin Bedan Muturi, as the Attorney-General. Mr Muturi served from 2022 to July 2024 when he was dismissed alongside other Cabinet Secretaries following widespread protests, which were triggered by an increase in taxes contained in the Finance Bill, 2024.

Ms Miano is an advocate of the High Court and is also a registered Certified Public Secretary of Kenya. She attained fellowship status (FCS) from the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya (ICPSK) in October 2023.

Other than Kenya Electricity Generating (KenGen) Company, where she was the managing director before she was tapped to the cabinet, Ms Miano previously served on the Finance Committee of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK). Before her dismissal from the cabinet, she served as CS Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry since October 2023. She was the CS East African Community, Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), and Regional Development.

As Attorney-General, Ms Miano will be the government’s principal legal advisor, responsible for representing the national government in court or any other legal proceedings to which the national government is a party (other than criminal proceedings).

Legal sector

The Attorney-General is also responsible for the promotion of human rights and implementation of the constitution, access to justice including through the promotion of legal aid, good governance, anti-corruption strategies, ethics and integrity, legal education, and law reform, among others.

The office also provides policy, coordination, and oversight with regard to various legal sector institutions and therefore has a broader cross-cutting mandate to support the strengthening of legal sector institutions. The Attorney-General also negotiates, drafts, and vets local and international instruments, treaties, and agreements involving the government and its institutions, among other functions.

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