Ambassador Karigithu’s SC Title -A Nod to Kenya’s Maritime Ambition and Evolving Legal Excellence

By Andrew Mwangura

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

The conferment of the rank of senior counsel on Ambassador Nancy Wakarima Karigithu is more than a personal accolade; it is a landmark moment for Kenya’s legal profession and a testament to the nation’s growing recognition of expertise that shapes nations beyond the courtroom.

In bestowing its highest professional honour upon her, Kenya has not only celebrated a distinguished lawyer, but also endorsed the architect of its modern maritime identity. A visionary who has built institutions, forged policy, and elevated the country’s voice in global maritime and Blue Economy discourse.

Gazetted by President William Ruto on December 10 and conferred at State House the following day, this honour is both a culmination of a trailblazing career and a signal of Kenya’s evolving legal and economic frontiers.

Karigithu’s path reflects a rare fusion of technical precision and transformative public service. After her LLB at the University of Nairobi, she pursued an LLM in International Maritime Law at the International Maritime Law Institute in Malta—a specialized field that seemed distant from Kenya’s legal mainstream at the time.

That early choice anchored her in a niche that would later become central to national development. Maritime law, once perceived as a technical backwater, became the foundation upon which she built Kenya’s policy framework for shipping, port governance, maritime safety, and the emerging blue economy.

Her foundational roles as state counsel and later as a senior legal officer at the Kenya Ports Authority immersed her in the intersection of law, commerce, and statecraft. Yet it was her bold leap into private consultancy in 1995 that revealed her strategic foresight.

At a time when maritime advisory was scarcely recognized in the region, she crafted a niche advising governments and international bodies on legislation, port reforms, and maritime security.

Her counsel soon drew the attention of global institutions—the International Maritime Organization, the European Union, the African Union, and the UN Economic Commission for Africa—forging her reputation as a continental authority.

It was her return to public service, however, that etched her legacy into Kenya’s governance framework. As the founding Principal Secretary for Shipping and Maritime Affairs, she moved maritime policy from the periphery to the heart of government.

Building on her earlier leadership of the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), she drove legislative reforms and placed Kenya firmly within the global blue economy conversation. She recognized that maritime governance extends beyond ports and ships—encompassing security, environmental stewardship, skills development, and the strategic assertion of jurisdiction over marine resources.

Her influence soon crossed borders. As a three-term Chair of the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee—a pivotal body in global shipping regulation—she became a respected voice in international negotiations. Her roles on the Board of Governors of the World Maritime University and as an honorary fellow reflect her global stature.

Kenya’s nomination of her for IMO secretary-general in 2023 was a statement: here was a candidate of undeniable pedigree and credibility, capable of leading the world’s foremost maritime agency.

In this light, her senior counsel designation carries profound symbolic weight. An honour long dominated by litigators and constitutional experts has now embraced a lawyer whose impact unfolded in the realms of international law, diplomacy, and sectoral institution-building.

It affirms that legal excellence lives not only in courtrooms but also in drafting laws, negotiating treaties, and shaping policy. That her name stands alongside figures like Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, NIS director-general Noordin Haji, and scholars PLO Lumumba and Kivutha Kibwana underscores both the diversity of Kenya’s legal talent and the expanding definition of juristic leadership.

This elevation arrives amid public scrutiny of the senior counsel awards process. Yet notably, Karigithu’s record—spanning decades of principled public service, continental advisory, and global leadership—remains untarnished by controversy.

Her career stands as a benchmark for the merit, integrity, and consistency the title was meant to honour.

Beyond the ceremony, her recognition signals something essential for Kenya’s future. Maritime governance is no longer a niche field but a central pillar of national development—from port efficiency and maritime security to sustainable ocean economies.

Karigithu’s milestone tells young lawyers that specialization in emerging sectors holds great promise. It confirms that the legal profession must evolve with the economy, and that expertise in areas like maritime law, technology regulation, and climate governance will define Kenya’s next generation of legal pioneers.

Ambassador Karigithu’s appointment as senior counsel is therefore both a personal triumph and a national statement. It celebrates the power of law not merely to adjudicate, but to build, to guide, and to inspire.

In honouring her, Kenya acknowledges that true legal legacy is forged not only in arguments before a judge, but in the patient, visionary work of expanding a nation’s horizons. Her story is a reminder: excellence, when rooted in service, becomes a legacy that outlasts any title.

Mr. Andrew Mwangura is an independent maritime consultant and former Secretary General of the Seafarers Union of Kenya.