Kalpana Rawal

Kalpana Hasmukhrai Rawal (born 15 January 1946 in India Bhuj) is a Kenyan-Indian lawyer and the former Deputy Chief Justice and Vice President of the Supreme Court of Kenya. She was sworn in on June 3, 2013 as the Deputy Chief Justice of Kenya in a ceremony presided over by the President of Kenya and the Chief Justice. After a protracted case on the question of the retirement age of Judges who were appointed under the old Constitution of Kenya, the Supreme Court delivered a Ruling which effectively set the retirement age at 70 years, sending the Deputy Chief Justice and one other Supreme Court Judge who had reached 70 on retirement.

Rawal holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, and Bachelors and Master of Laws in constitutional and administrative law. She received her LLB and LLM degrees in India, where she practised for three years under the tutelage of Prafullachandra Natwarlal Bhagwati who later became the 17th Chief Justice of India. In 1975 she worked as a teacher of both administration and regular police officers at Lower Kabete. In the same year, she set up a private practice becoming the first woman lawyer to do so in Kenya. She run a general practice until 1999 when she was appointed a commissioner of assize, and judge of the High Court thereafter.

Rawal has over 40 years experience in the Legal profession and as at May 2011 had served as a judge for 11 years most of which was in Nairobi.

In May 2011, she was among 9 applicants interviewed for the position Chief Justice of Kenya by the Judicial Service Commission (Kenya). She however lost to current Chief Justice Willy Mutunga.

Justice Rawal led the judicial inquiry into the June 2012 Kenya Police helicopter crash that killed all six people on board including Minister George Saitoti and Assistant Minister Orwa Ojode.

In September 2012, the Kenya Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board in its fourth Determination declared Rawal fit for office. It had earlier delayed its decision as she was among judges hearing a national interest case to determine on the date of the next Kenyan general elections.

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