Our Senior Partner, Waweru Gatonye, SC is the firm’s founding partner with over 40
years of experience in legal practice. He has a stellar record in litigation and dispute
resolution, particularly in commercial disputes and public interest matters. His reputation
as an astute advocate with outstanding accomplishments precedes him.
Waweru Gatonye graduated from the University of Nairobi in 1974 with a Bachelor of
Laws (L.L. B), (Honours), after which he joined the Office of the Attorney General as a
State Counsel and rose through the ranks to become a deputy to the then Director of
Public Prosecutions. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Kenya
(CIArb -K) and a certified professional mediator.
On public interest matters, Waweru Gatonye served as an Assisting Counsel to the
Goldenberg Commission of Inquiry investigating the loss of billions of shillings of
public funds. He was also appointed by the Central Bank of Kenya(CBK) as lead
counsel to the Commission of Inquiry into the Sale and Transfer of the Grand
Regency, (“the Kimunya Commission”). In 2017, he was the Lead Counsel in
Presidential Election Petition in the Supreme Court of Kenya having been appointed by
the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission(IEBC). Previously, he was
appointed to lead the legal team representing the Office of the Director of Public
Prosecutions (ODPP) in the Supreme Court cases of Republic v Ahmad Abolfathi
Mohammed & another [2019] eKLR and Director of Public Prosecutions v Okemo
& 4 others (Petition 14 of 2020) [2021] KESC 13 (KLR) (Crim) (5 November 2021)
(Judgment) (with dissent – W Ouko, SCJ). These were legal proceedings of great
public interest on extradition and prevention of terror in the country. Mr. Gatonye also
led a team of senior Advocates that were involved in the litigation that challenged the
proposed Constitution amendments popularly known as the Building Bridges
Initiative(BBI).
On commercial disputes, Senior Counsel has represented leading private and public
Corporations in Courts, specialized Tribunals and Arbitration proceedings. Some of
those institutions include the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), Kenya Revenue Authority
(KRA), Capital Markets Authority (CMA), Block of Hotel Holdings, Co-operative Bank of
Kenya Limited, KCB Bank (K) Limited, Equity Bank Limited, Family Bank Limited, NCBA
Bank Limited, and many other commercial banks and financial institutions as well as
Corporates.
His areas of practice have been general Commercial Litigation, Constitutional and
Administrative Law, Tax Law, Public Procurement Law, Capital Markets and Securities
Regulation. Senior Counsel also handles arbitration cases and mediation.