Hon. Kenneth Marende, the 2009 winner of the Jurist of the Year Award, graduated from the University of Nairobi in 1978 with a Bachelor of Laws Degree and was admitted to the roll of advocates in 1979.  Over the years, Hon. Marende has served the country and pursued the course of justice in different capacities.   Between 1979 and 1984, he was employed as a State Council in the Attorney General’s office and rose through the ranks to the position of Senior State Counsel.

Hon. Marende was first elected to the Kenya National Assembly in 2002 where he served the Nation in various capacities.  He was a Member of the Standing Order Committee in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Session of the Ninth Parliament.  He served in the Departmental Committee on Administration of Justice and Legal Affairs.  In recognition of his skills and astuteness, the members of that committee elected him as the Vice Chairman.  He served as a member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Review of the Constitution

In cognizance of his passion for reforms, he was elected the Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Minimum Reforms of the Kenya Constitution.   He was appointed as a joint Secretary of the Ruling party, NARC, summit in 2004.  In 2008, he was elected to head the National Assembly.  His election to this position came at a time when Kenya was at a crossroads: citizens rose against fellow citizens, thousands were being displaced from their homes, the post-election crisis was threatening the social fabric that held our country together, civil strife was looming, the political tensions and divisions in the country were palpable,in particular with the National Assembly.

Hon. Marende has steered the institution in a non-partisan, pragmatic, objective and mature way that has enabled the body to effectively carry out its roles.  He has managed to win the confidence and support of Member of the institution across the political divide despite the acrimony and grandstanding witnessed at the time of his election.

In 2009, in recognition of his leadership credentials and service to the development of Parliamentary practice in the commonwealth, Hon Marende was elected as the President of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.