President William Ruto’s nominee for Chairperson of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), Duncan Oburu Ojwang, has declined the appointment just a week after his name was sent to Parliament for vetting.

In a letter to National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, Ojwang cited personal reasons and a perceived conflict of interest for turning down the offer. Following this development, the vetting process has been halted and the matter returned to the appointing authority to find a new candidate.

Speaker Wetang’ula informed Parliament on Tuesday that he had received a letter from Ojwang “respectfully” declining the nomination.

He instructed the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs to stop any further consideration of Ojwang and directed the Clerk of the National Assembly to notify the appointing authority immediately.

Ojwang was nominated on August 5, 2025, and referred to the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee along with his curriculum vitae for vetting after a competitive selection process.

Ojwang was among six shortlisted candidates in May, selected from 17 applicants. He is a legal scholar and human rights expert who served as Dean of the School of Law at Africa Nazarene University until January 2023 and has lectured at the University of Nairobi.

His teaching areas include constitutional law, human rights, environmental law, and law and development.

Academically, Ojwang holds a PhD in Law and Policy from the University of Arizona, an LL.M. in International Human Rights Law from Indiana University, and a Juris Doctor from Southern Illinois University School of Law. He also has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Indiana University.

Outside of academia, Ojwang has worked with the African Union as an election observer, participated in South Sudan’s Tumaini peace mediation process, and served on the technical team of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO).

His nomination was challenged in court by the Katiba Institute and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC).

They argued that the appointment violated Article 250(II) of the Constitution, which prohibits the chairperson and vice-chairperson of a commission from being of the same gender.

Since the current vice-chairperson, Raymond Nyeris, is male, the petitioners claimed the nomination was unconstitutional. The High Court is set to mention the case on September 17.

Ojwang’s withdrawal ends the current vetting process and requires the appointing authority to select a new nominee to fill the KNCHR chairperson vacancy.