A champion of justice, conservation, and community empowerment — Hon. Justice Antony Oteng'o Ombwayo has devoted over two decades to upholding Kenya's environmental law while preserving the nation's most irreplaceable natural and cultural treasures.
Early Life & Background
Born in Kakamega County, Justice Antony Oteng'o Ombwayo hails from Western Kenya — a region whose landscape of rivers, forest and rich communal tradition would prove prophetic of a life devoted to the land. While the particulars of his formative years remain largely private, the values forged in those early surroundings are unmistakable in the man he became: disciplined, principled, and possessed of an uncommon sensitivity to place and people.
His early pursuit of legal education laid the intellectual foundation for what would become a distinguished career in Kenya's judiciary. Those who have worked alongside him note that his roots in Western Kenya never left him — they surface in an instinctive deference to community, in a jurisprudence that sees the human cost behind every contested title deed.
Legal Career & Judicial Appointments
- Nakuru Environment & Land Court (Current)
- Kisumu Environment & Land Court
- Nyeri Environment & Land Court
- Eldoret High Court
Appointed to the Environment and Land Court (ELC) in 2012, Justice Ombwayo entered the judiciary at a critical juncture for Kenyan land law — a period defined by the post-2010 constitutional order, a new devolved framework, and the urgent need to resolve decades of contested ownership across the country's most sensitive terrains.
Over the years, his transfers through Kisumu, Nyeri, and Eldoret before his current posting in Nakuru reflect a judicial career of both breadth and continuity. Each station brought fresh complexities: the Rift Valley's historically fractured land settlements, Nyanza's communal holdings, and the Central highlands' mingling of colonial-era grants and modern speculation.
Official correspondence with the court may be directed to aombwayo@court.go.ke. His approach to the bench has consistently been characterised by methodical fact-finding, visible site visits, and a determination to protect those who lack the means to protect themselves.
Notable Judgments & Contributions
Ruled in favour of squatters occupying 25,000 acres, directing the Too family to retain only 67.5 acres — a landmark redistribution in favour of the historically dispossessed.
Revoked a decision awarding land to a Seventh Day Adventist Church, citing an irregular acquisition process in breach of statutory procedure.
Conducted an in-person inspection at the Kibos Nubian community demolition site, demonstrating judicial presence in cases of urgent human rights relevance.
Led tree-planting initiatives at Nakuru Main Prison, integrating environmental stewardship directly into the court's civic programme.
Issued a permanent injunction barring a US-based son from re-entering his parents' compound — a significant ruling on succession and familial property rights.
Ordered repayment of Ksh 19.8 million to a Catholic church defrauded in a land transaction, plus substantial damages — upholding institutional recourse.
The court has no duty to protect unlawfully obtained deeds, even if one is an innocent purchaser for value, so long as it is proved the title was unlawfully obtained.
Hon. Justice Antony Oteng'o Ombwayo — Environment and Land CourtFounding Ambururu Waterfalls Conservancy
Beyond the courtroom, Justice Ombwayo has built something altogether different — a sanctuary. The Ambururu Waterfalls Conservancy, situated in the green folds of Siaya County, stands as his most personal and perhaps most enduring act. Named for the eternal roar of the falls — ambururu, an echo that the Luo describe as ancestral whisper made perpetual — the conservancy is both natural preserve and living monument.
Where the water speaks,
the ancestors listen.
Inspired by the falls' eternal voice and the culture of the Luo people who have called this land home across centuries, Justice Ombwayo created Ambururu as a place where nature and memory reinforce each other. The conservancy celebrates heritage while empowering local communities through sustainable, dignified development.
Controversies & Ongoing Investigations
No record of a public figure's career can be complete without an honest account of its shadows. In 2025, Justice Ombwayo became the subject of allegations that drew the attention of the Judicial Service Commission.
Nature of Allegations: A businessman presented allegations of bribe solicitation in a land case, supported by M-Pesa transaction records. A separate petition alleged acceptance of payments from both parties in the same matter.
Institutional Response: The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) formally required Justice Ombwayo to respond to the claims. Former LSK President Nelson Havi publicly characterised the case as a "test case" for Kenya's approach to judicial gross misconduct.
Status: Investigations remain ongoing as of the date of this publication. No final determination has been made. This gazette presents the allegations factually and without prejudice.
Those seeking to purchase land must do higher due diligence since the cartels in the Ministry of Lands were becoming more complex.
Hon. Justice Antony Oteng'o Ombwayo — Public Address, 2023Personal Life & Legacy
Careful to protect the privacy of his personal life, Justice Ombwayo is nonetheless known within his professional circles as a man of uncommon range. That a sitting judge of the Environment and Land Court would simultaneously found a nature conservancy, participate in prison tree-planting drives, and moderate international forums on climate jurisprudence speaks to a personality that refuses compartmentalisation.
His legacy, still being written, is already legible in two distinct registers: the case law he has contributed to Kenya's evolving environmental jurisprudence, and the sound of water falling over ancient rock in Siaya County — preserved, protected, named, because one person believed it mattered enough to act.
Over 26 years advancing environmental and land law across Kenya's most contested regions and communities.
Established Ambururu as a beacon of natural and cultural preservation in the heart of Siaya County.
Consistent advocacy for vulnerable communities through landmark rulings on land rights, squatters, and dispossession.
Moderated international sessions on the role of courts in combating climate change — a voice for environmental accountability.
