By Hassan Wekesa - Editor
17 December 2025 - Kenya's Supreme Court Judge Mohammed Ibrahim has died at the age of 69, the Judiciary has confirmed.
Ibrahim passed away at the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi following a period of illness.
Chief Justice Martha Koome in a statement on Wednesday expressed profound sorrow on behalf of the Judiciary, the Supreme Court, the Judicial Service Commission, and herself, describing the loss of a distinguished colleague who had served as both a Supreme Court judge and a commissioner on the JSC.
Justice Ibrahim had recently begun terminal leave in preparation for his mandatory retirement on 1 January 2026, when he would have reached the constitutional age limit of 70.
A highly regarded senior jurist, he was appointed to the inaugural Supreme Court in June 2011 under the new 2010 Constitution and served for over 14 years, contributing significantly to landmark constitutional and electoral decisions.
His judicial tenure spanned 23 years, beginning with his elevation to the High Court bench in May 2003, where he presided over cases in civil, commercial, and constitutional divisions, and served as resident judge in Eldoret and later Mombasa.
Before joining the bench, Justice Ibrahim enjoyed a distinguished career in private practice lasting more than 40 years in total.
After studying law at the University of Nairobi and obtaining a diploma from the Kenya School of Law, he was admitted to the Roll of Advocates in January 1983, becoming the first lawyer from Kenya’s Somali community to achieve this distinction.
He started at Waruhiu & Muite Advocates in 1982, progressing to partner, before establishing his own firm, Mohammed Ibrahim & Associates, in 1994, which later became Ibrahim & Isaack Advocates.
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His practice focused on civil, constitutional, commercial, and banking law.Justice Ibrahim was deeply committed to human rights and pro-democracy efforts.
In July 1990, he was detained without trial for a month in solitary confinement at Kamiti Prison due to his legal representation of activists opposing the one-party regime.
He held prominent roles in organisations such as the Law Society of Kenya, Kituo Cha Sheria, and the Legal Education and Aid Programme, and was a founding trustee of the Mwangaza Trust.
In later years, he chaired the Judiciary Committee on Elections from August 2021 and represented the Supreme Court on the JSC from May 2022.
Tributes have emphasised his integrity, dedication to the rule of law, social justice, constitutionalism, and minority rights, as well as his trailblazing role in enhancing representation of minority communities in the legal profession and judiciary.
Justice Mohammed Warsame called his passing a significant loss to Muslim representation on the Supreme Court and a blow to the Somali community.
Justice Ibrahim is survived by his wife and four children.
The Judiciary stated that details of memorial arrangements and funeral proceedings will be announced in due course.
