Esther Nyaiyaki

In August 2017, when Raila Odinga challenged the election of Uhuru Kenyatta to the position of president of Kenya, Ms. Nyaiyaki personally supervised the filing of the relevant paperwork, in her capacity as registrar of the Supreme Court. The Justices of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice David Maraga tasked Nyaiyaki to conduct an audit of the materials that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) used to declare the presidential result. She was assisted by a team of ICT experts, appointed by the Judiciary to examine the relevant materials.

The supreme court took into consideration that report, before they annulled the presidential election on 1 September 2017, in a 4 to 2 decision. Following that annulment, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission initiated an inquiry into the actions of Esther Nyaiyaki, after one Kenyan citizen filed a complaint. This was followed by a flurry of exchanges between various Kenya government agencies regarding the merits and legality of what had transpired.

As of November 2017, Esther Nyaiyaki is still at her position as the registrar to the supreme court, with the backing of the Kenyan Judiciary, which has defended her actions.

Esther Nyaiyaki, is a Kenyan lawyer who works as a Registrar in the Kenya Judiciary. She served as the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Kenya from February 2013 to December 2021 and was involved in handling the petition that led to the annulment of the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as president of Kenya, in August 2017. She serves as a Registrar in the Office of the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary from January 2022.

Esther Nyaiyaki joined the Judiciary of Kenya in February 2013. Immediately before joining the Judiciary, she worked as a senior editor at the National Council for Law Reporting.