Dorcas Agik Odhong Oduor (born 12 November 1965) is a Kenyan lawyer who in 2024 became the country's first female Attorney General.
Dorcas Oduor | |
|---|---|
| 9th Attorney General of Kenya | |
| Assumed office 20 August 2024 | |
| President | William Ruto |
| Preceded by | Justin Muturi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 November 1965 |
| Alma mater | University of Nairobi |
Eearly life and education
editDorcas Agik Odhong Oduor was born on 12 November 1965 in Nakuru County.[1][2] She completed her secondary education at Lwak Girls' High School in 1983.[2]
Oduor completed a law degree in 1990, and a postgraduate diploma at the Kenya School of Law in 1991.[3] She was admitted to the Bar in 1992 as an advocate of the High Court.[4] She also has a Master of Arts in International Conflict Management from the University of Nairobi.[5][6]
Career
editOduor worked as a lawyer for thirty years, serving in the State Law Office and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.[3] She was the Secretary of Public Prosecutions until 2024.[4]
Oduor has been chairperson of the Board of Review on Mentally Insane (Criminal Psychiatric), Assisting Counsel in the Akiwumi Commission of Inquiry on Land Clashes, the Bosire Commission on the Goldenberg Affair and the Kiruki Commission on the Artur Brothers, Joint Secretary of the Police Reform Commission (Ransley Commission), chair of the board on Criminal Psychiatry (on behalf of the Attorney General), and a member of the National Task Force on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing.[3]
High-profile cases she has prosecuted include a fraud case against Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu and a murder case against police officer Edward Kirui from the 2007-2008 post-election violence in Kisumu.[3]
Oduor was nominated by President William Ruto on 30 July 2024, in a Cabinet reshuffle following the removal of the previous Attorney General Justin Muturi over the Kenya Finance Bill protests.[4] She was approved by the Kenyan Parliament on 14 August 2024[4] and sworn in by Ruto at the State House in Nairobi on 20 August.[7] She said she would reform the criminal justice system by addressing the delays in court cases and providing timely legal advice to the government.[8]
Awards and honours
edit- Elder of the Burning Spear[3]
- Member of the Order of the Golden Warrior[3]
Publications
edit- Oduor, Dorcas (April 2011). "The Misuse of Technology in the Abuse and Exploitation of Children" (PDF). Twentieth Session of the CCPCJ-Vienna. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
- Oduor, Dorcas (September 2020). "The Road to the Development of Guidelines on Decision to Charge" (PDF). The Prosecutor (III): 14–15.
Personal life
editOduor is a widow and has five children.[9] As part of her vetting process in 2024, she disclosed her family's net worth to be Ksh 85 million (US$833,000).[9]
References
edit- ^ "Biography of those awarded". p. 60.
- ^ a b Dorcas Oduor profile: She is the first female in Kenya to hold the position. KBC Channel 1. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Njihia, Samuel (20 August 2024). "Dorcas Oduor: Kenya's first woman Attorney General". The Nairobi Law Monthly. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d Doris, Natasha (16 August 2024). "Kenya appoints first female Attorney General". African Law and Business. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Mbuthia, Bashir (30 July 2024). "President Ruto Nominates Dorcas Oduor For Attorney General Position". Citizen Digital. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Mwangi, Denis (30 July 2024). "Profile of Ruto's incoming Attorney General Dorcas Oduor, OGW, EBS, SC". Pulse Live. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Etyand, Perpetua (20 August 2024). "You're equal to the task! Karua tells AG Dorcas Oduor". The Star. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Tongola, Mate (10 August 2024). "I'll be the people's lawyer, says Attorney General nominee Dorcas Oduor". The Saturday Standard. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ a b Muia, Joseph (August 2024). "AG Nominee Dorcas Oduor Declares Ksh.85 Million Net Worth". Citizen Digital. Retrieved 7 September 2024.