Vale Mohamed Kadhar Ibrahim, 1956-2025: tributes flow for Kenyan Supreme Court Justice who was a “towering source of inspiration”

Supreme Court Justice Mohammed Kadhar Ibrahim will be remembered as a principled jurist, a passionate defender of human rights, and a steadfast champion of multi-party democracy, said Kenyan President William Ruto after news broke yesterday afternoon that the groundbreaking judge had passed away in Nairobi.

Justice Ibrahim blazed an historic trail, noted President Ruto, as the first member of the Kenyan Somali community to be admitted as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, “breaking barriers and inspiring generations to pursue justice, public service, and equality under the law”. The President extended his and the nation’s deepest condolences to the late judge’s family, friends, colleagues, and entire legal fraternity.

“May they find comfort in his enduring legacy and in the profound impact of a life devoted to justice and the rule of law,” said President Ruto, who was joined by many notable Kenyans in mourning the passing of a man who spent many years defending rights and freedoms of others as a public interest lawyer, before becoming a judge.

Chief Justice Martha Koome called Ibrahim, an inaugural judge of Kenya’s Supreme Court appointed in 2011 and a Commissioner of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), a jurist of “exceptional humility and integrity” who would be remembered as a steadfast guardian of constitutionalism, electoral justice, and human dignity.

The judge’s passing after a prolonged illness was "an immense loss”, said Koome.

Before joining the judiciary in 2003 as a judge of the High Court of Kenya, Justice Ibrahim had practised for more than two decades as a trailblazing advocate, human rights defender and public-spirited lawyer, noted Koome. He was deeply engaged in public interest litigation and civic advocacy during some of Kenya’s most challenging political periods. As the country struggled for multiparty democracy in the late 1980s and early 1990s, he stood with pro-democracy forces, offering legal support to activists and marginalised communities. His work, said Koome, “reflected a lifelong commitment to access to justice, inclusion, and the defence of fundamental rights.

His pro-democracy work led to Ibrahim being detained without trial in 1990.

Gitobu Imanyara, a Kenyan journalist, human rights lawyer and former opposition MP and member of the pan-African parliament, who was also imprisoned during that time, today shared his deep sorrow at the news of the passing of Justice Ibrahim.

“Kenya has lost a principled jurist whose life was marked by courage, restraint, and an abiding commitment to justice and constitutionalism,” said Imanyara. “Justice Ibrahim and I shared the painful experience of detention without trial under the Moi regime, united by a refusal to abandon conscience in the face of repression. Those difficult days revealed his quiet strength, moral clarity, and steadfast belief in the rule of law even when the law had been turned against its own people. His service on the Bench was a continuation of that struggle by judicial means: thoughtful, disciplined, and grounded in integrity… His legacy as a patriot and judge will endure.”

After being elevated to the Supreme Court as part of the inaugural bench in 2011, Justice Ibrahim was among those charged with the historic responsibility of giving meaning and effect to Kenya’s transformative 2010 Constitution. Former Chief Justice David Maraga noted that Justice Ibrahim was part of innumerable key decisions that have shaped the interpretation of Kenya’s law and key jurisprudential issues.

In 2022, Justice Ibrahim was unanimously elected by his fellow Justices to represent the Supreme Court on the JSC, where he served with distinction, and brought to bear his deep commitment to judicial independence and accountability.

Deputy President of Kenya Kithure Kindiki said he was shocked to learn of the judge’s passing, eulogising Justice Ibrahim for his “immense influence” and for distinguishing himself as a sharp judicial mind, fiercely independent and a calm but firm mentor to many younger members of the Kenyan Bench and the Bar.

The judiciary and the entire legal profession had suffered a monumental loss with Justice Ibrahim’s passing, said Law Society of Kenya Chair Faith Odhiambo, calling the late judge “a towering source of inspiration to all who dared to dream”.