Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga is a renown human rights activist.
Mutunga’s activism started when he was a lecturer at the University of Nairobi in the 1970’s.
The former CJ has been quoted saying his activism was inspired by people like Dedan Kimathi and Pio Gama Pinto.
Mutunga was associated with a small but determined group of people who pushed for respect of human rights during the retired president Daniel Arap Moi's rule.
The group also pushed for the change of section 2A of the constitution to allow for the multi-party state.
In 1979, Mutunga formed the University Staff Union (USU) and became the Union's secretary general.
In 1980, he was arrested and USU banned.
Mutunga was accused of being a member of the underground group known as the ‘December Twelve Movement’.
He was also accused of engaging in the movement ’s publication known as ‘Pambana’.
Police alleged that Mutunga had been found in possession of stamps used in mailing ‘Pambana’ after searching his house.
On June 19, 1982, Mutunga was charged in court for being in possession of seditious leaflets.
The former CJ was detained just three days before the 1 August 1982 attempted coup by the Kenya Air-force wing.
Mutunga was dismissed from his teaching job at UoN.
After his release on October 20, 1983, Mutunga sought refuge in Canada.
It is while in Canada that he received his Doctorate Degree in Law from Osgoode Hall Law in Toronto.
While in Canada, Mutunga alongside other Kenyans in exile formed the Kenya Human rights Commission (KHRC) to push the struggle for socio-economic justice in Kenya.
Mutunga together with other law scholars, Makau Mutua, and Maina Kiai, formed the Human Rights Commission.
The former CJ and other exiles returned to the country when Section 2A of the constitution had been repealed in 1991.
Mutunga registered KHRC in 1994 and started operations.
The organization pushed for the rights of civil society activisms.
The former CJ continued with the activism until when he was appointed Chief Justice in 2011 and later retired in 2016.
David Maraga succeeded Mutunga as the Chief Justice in 2016.
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