Kenya’s Judiciary is mourning the death of Supreme Court Judge Ibrahim Mohammed, a senior jurist whose calm presence shaped some of the country’s most important legal moments.
Justice Ibrahim died on Wednesday, December 17, at Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi. He was 69. The Judiciary said he passed away at about 4.30pm after a long illness.
He had recently returned from India, where he had been receiving specialised care in an intensive care unit. Doctors later advised that he travel back home to Kenya, where he continued treatment. The Judiciary and his family have chosen not to disclose details of his illness, describing it only as prolonged.
Chief Justice Martha Koome confirmed the news in a statement issued shortly after his death.
“On behalf of the Judiciary, the Supreme Court of Kenya and the Judicial Service Commission, I convey, with profound sorrow, the passing of Hon. Justice Mohammed Kadhar Ibrahim,” she said.
“We extend our deepest condolences to his family, colleagues and the entire Judiciary during this moment of great loss.”
A career at the heart of Kenya’s justice system
Justice Ibrahim had served on the Supreme Court since June 2011. During his time at the apex court, he sat on benches that heard petitions challenging the 2013 and 2022 presidential elections—cases that tested Kenya’s constitutional order and drew global attention.
His health struggles became public in August 2017 when he fell ill during hearings on the presidential election petition filed by Raila Odinga. He later spent extended periods receiving treatment in South Africa.
Despite these challenges, colleagues describe him as deeply committed to public service. At the time of his death, he was the Supreme Court’s representative to the Judicial Service Commission, a role he had held since May 2022. He was also chair of the Judiciary Committee on Elections, appointed in August 2021.
Tributes from the legal profession
The Law Society of Kenya President, Faith Odhiambo, paid tribute to Justice Ibrahim, calling him a guiding light within the legal community.
“Justice Ibrahim served on the bench with grace and a sharp intellect,” she said. “His calm demeanour reflected a deep understanding of judicial authority as a duty to serve. His passing is a great loss to the Supreme Court and to the administration of justice in Kenya.”
Breaking barriers and building a legacy
Born on January 1, 1956, Justice Ibrahim made history as the first person from the Kenyan-Somali community to be admitted to the Bar. He studied law at the University of Nairobi and was admitted as an advocate in January 1983.
After years in private practice, he founded Mohammed Ibrahim & Associates in 1994, later expanding it into Ibrahim & Isaack Advocates. His legal career spanned decades, bridging private practice and public service at the highest level.
In recent years, his prolonged absence from the bench due to illness led to a petition before the Judicial Service Commission questioning his capacity to serve. The matter remained sensitive, reflecting the tension between compassion for personal health struggles and the demands of public office.
Justice Ibrahim was due to retire on January 1, 2026, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
As tributes continue to flow, many in the legal fraternity remember him as a measured voice in turbulent times—one who believed in the law not as a weapon, but as a means to hold society together.