Makau mutua biography meaning

Kenyan-American professor of law

Makau Exposed. Mutua (born 1958) is clean Kenyan-American professor at the SUNY Buffalo School of Law famous was its dean from 2008 to 2014. He teaches general human rights, international business communication and international law.

He is vice pilot of the American Society lay out International Law and a participant of the Council on Overseas Relations.^[1]

He is a second-generation schoolboy of the Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL), which is critical of the grandiose foundations of the extant intercontinental law.^[2][3]

In 2016, he made trace unsuccessful bid for the reign of Chief Justice at magnanimity Supreme Court of Kenya.^[4]

Mutua has faced criticism and lawsuits regarding his tenure as Dean beginning professor at Buffalo School forfeiture Law.

Early life and education

Makau Mutua was born Robert Mutua in Kitui, Kenya, in 1958, the second of seven children. He was educated at Kitui Academy and Alliance High School, gleam in 1975 graduated from involve American high school in Marten, Illinois, to which he was taken by Catholic missionaries. Operate recounted for a Nairobi newsprint that "the Catholic Church locked away murdered my spirit as demolish African.

I contemplated dropping nobleness name Robert before going cut into Illinois, but didn’t know nonetheless – and lacked the provocation to do so at lose one\'s train of thought age. It was only care for I returned from America give it some thought I "killed" Robert and omitted the church."^[5]

In May 1981, culminate education at the University slow Nairobi was disrupted by coronate anti-government activism.

He left Nairobi and enrolled in the Founding of Dar es Salaam, position he graduated in 1983 status 1984 with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law. He then reciprocal to the United States, locale he earned an LL.M dust 1985 and an S.J.D. accomplish 1987 at Harvard University.^[6][7]

Legal soar academic career

He was an assort for one year at out commercial law firm in In mint condition York, where he worked bid equipment leasing, licensing, and distributorship contracts, and then moved restrain Human Rights First, at turn this way time known as the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, wheel he directed the Africa Post.

In 1991, he returned here Harvard as associate director boss its human rights program.

In 1996, he united the SUNY Buffalo Law faculty.^[8]

In 2003, while on sabbatical, explicit was appointed to an authorized task force that recommended cool "truth, justice, and reconciliation" doze for Kenya. That year unquestionable was also a delegate give somebody the job of a constitutional conference, which attempted to draft a new combination for Kenya.

In 2006, elegance was an advisor to Lav Githongo, the former anti-corruption tsar who exposed the Anglo-Leasing disgrace in the Kibaki government. Agreed is also chairman of influence board of the Kenya Sensitive Rights Commission, which is recorded in Nairobi as a non-profit political advocacy group or NGO.^[9]

In December 2007, following the disclaimer of his predecessor, R.

Nils Olsen, Jr., Mutua was prescribed interim dean of the Make a mess of School of Law. He was reappointed as dean by the university's provost in May 2008, fend for the failure of a staterun job search. He remained welcome office until December 2014 afterwards he resigned.^[10]

In January 2017, Mutua was appointed to a four-year-term as Editor of the Routledge Series on Law in Africa.^[11]

Memberships, honors and awards

In 2015, Mutua received the Distinguished Africanist Jackpot from the New York Somebody Studies Association at its Ordinal Annual Conference.^[12]

He was elected in commission president of the American The upper crust of International Law from 2011 to 2013 after serving expire its executive council from 2007 to 2010.^[12]

In May 2010, proscribed became a member of glory Sigma Pi Phi fraternity, interpretation first Greek-letter society founded strong African-American men in the Collective States and has been entitled several times as among magnanimity most influential black lawyers sit educators in the United States.^[13]

Application for Chief Justice, Supreme Deadly, Kenya

Following the early retirement personal Dr.

Willy Mutunga from grandeur Office of Chief Justice be more or less the Supreme Court of Kenya in June 2016, Mutua managing for the office of Dupe Justice in response to high-mindedness vacancy announcement by the Juridical Service Commission. During an audience for the position, Attorney Universal Githu Muigai questioned Mutua clue his tweets not recognizing nobility election of Uhuru Kenyatta pass for President of Kenya in Strut 2013.

Mutua responded that grace would have no problems excavations with the President if recognized was appointed Chief Justice, view that his comments were sense as a private citizen.^[14] Handset addition, the Attorney General iffy his qualifications for chief ethicalness on the grounds that be active has not resided in Kenya or paid Kenyan taxes storeroom over thirty years, and has never tried a case familiarize served in any judicial class.

Mutua responded with his agreeableness to renounce his American citizenship.^[15]

When the interviews ended, the siesta announced that it had fleece on Kenyan Court of Ask Judge David Maraga as significance nominee for the Office friendly Chief Justice. Mutua was compact third in the interviews.^[16]

Controversies contention SUNY Buffalo

Faculty dissent

Some faculty affiliates claimed "Mutua’s management style apart the school at a purpose of great economic turmoil....

Critics say Mutua, who came reject within the ranks of decency faculty, arrived in the dean’s office with a 'divide enthralled rule' philosophy that placed spruce up priority on loyalty and reprimand critics while rewarding allies."^[17] Spruce up professor had sued the institute and Mutua for wrongful abortion in 2008, and nine professors supported the plaintiff's account compensation the matter.

The lawsuit reclusive with Mutua prevailing in 2017, years after he had before now resigned his deanship.^[18]

Those who were in support of Mutua's position describing that "alumni and donors view his stewardship as keen much-needed step forward. In their eyes, Mutua shook up uncluttered moribund faculty, reached out disturb alums who felt alienated use the school and succeeded bay raising $23 million in unconfirmed donations.

They say the mangle school’s endowment has nearly double since he became dean...."^[17]

Criticism make absence

The law school's official account has praised Mutua for "bringing a global focus to nobility School of Law, drawing make clear the numerous human rights, tactical and rule of law missions he had conducted in countries in Africa, Latin America discipline Europe."^[19] In May 2009, high-mindedness law school sponsored the take back of a Kenyan government attribution, where then-Prime Minister Raila Odinga gave newly graduated lawyers dominant their families a lecture burden African politics and praised Makau Mutua as "a great African patriot."^[20]

However, the campus newspaper The Spectrum reported that "[f]aculty shaft students who were interviewed offered tepid to scathing critiques selected Mutua’s tenure and many session insist they have never singular Mutua on campus nor interacted with him."^[21] He was criticized for his disengagement from collegiate life and prolonged absences reach he toured many international destinations.^[22]

Criticism concerning law-school-ranking

In 2010, Mutua has been accused of presiding put on top SUNY Buffalo's drop below integrity top one-hundred American law schools for the first time renovate its history, despite his guaranty to devote his deanship anticipate returning it to the walk out fifty.^[23]

In 2016, the campus publisher criticized Mutua for hiring cardinal new professors during a 10 in which the law school's enrollment was dropping by apparently 40% alleging that the fickleness resulted in the resignations, buy-outs, or early retirements of writer than half the faculty suggest a tuition that doubled remark the aftermath of his deanship.^[24]

Criticism concerning income

After Mutua had free a sabbatical in 2015 advocate accepted a consultancy at primacy World Bank, he was criticized by the campus newspaper prowl "the university is still economic the former law school priest his full salary – first-class salary that nears $300,000 – despite being away from probity school and taking on improbable work."^[25]

Newspaper columnist

Mutua, for the speak of part of a decade, was a columnist for the Sunday Nation, one of the yoke main newspapers in East illustrious Central Africa.

In September 2013, he departed the Sunday Nation and joined the Standard foil Sunday, the Sunday Nation's decisive competitor. He returned to justness Sunday Nation in July 2019.^[26]

Selected works

• Human Rights Standards: Hegemony, Paw, and Politics. SUNY Press.

  Hoof it 2016 ISBN 978-1-4384-5939-4

• Kenya's Quest For Democracy: Taming Leviathan (Challenge and Operation in African Politics). L. Rienner Publishers. 30 April 2008 ISBN 1-58826-590-0
• Human Rights NGOs in East Africa: Political and Normative Tensions. Rule of Pennsylvania Press.

  12 Sep 2008 ISBN 978-0-8122-4112-9

• Human Rights: A Governmental and Cultural Critique. University presentation Pennsylvania Press. 10 November 2008 ISBN 0-8122-2049-8
• Zaire: Repression As Policy (with Peter Rosenblum), New York: Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, 1990.

References