Six things to know about Justice Kalpana Rawal
As the Court of Appeal on Friday made a landmark ruling on the age of retirement for Judges in Kenya, all eyes were on the Deputy Chief Justice Kalpana Rawal.
Here are some important facts about the 70 year old whose quest to retire at 74 ended Friday:
1. She was not born and raised in Kenya
Kalpana Hasmukhrai was born in Bhuj in the Gujarat State of India. She pursued her bachelors and masters degrees in India and practiced for three years before migrating to Kenya in 1973 after her marriage.
2. She was the first woman to start a law firm in Kenya
Two years after she came to Kenya, she set up a law firm under the name K. H Rawal Advocates becoming the first woman to engage in private practice in Kenya.
3. She was once a teacher
Before starting a law firm, Rawal taught both administration and regular police officers in Lower Kabete.
4. She comes from a linage of law practitioners
Her father was a judge in Gujarat while her great grandfather served as a deputy law minister in India.
5. She is a mother of two boys
Rawal has two sons who live in Britain and is a grandmother of three.
6. Rawal family has in the past been accused of tax evasion
According to the Panama papers, Rawal and her husband were directors of a real estate company that bought and sold properties in London but in her defense she stated that she was listed as a director without her knowledge and was not involved in the business. She added that her two sons who live in London were operating the companies in accordance to the laws in the UK and she had no involvement or interest.
