Fred Kwasi Apaloo

Frederick Kwasi Apaloo (9 January 1921 – 2 April 2000) was a Ghanaian judge who served as Chief Justice of Kenya from 1993 to 1995 and Chief Justice of Ghana from 1977 to 1986. He is the only judge to have served on the Supreme Court of Ghana under three Ghanaian republics.

Early life Apaloo was born at Woe, a village near Keta in the Volta Region of Ghana, then the Gold Coast. He lost his father when he was 7 years old so an uncle who was a Kadjebi merchant cared for him through school. His secondary education was at Accra Academy which he graduated from in 1942. He subsequently read law at the University College, Hull One of the other judges was Edward Akufo-Addo who also later became Chief Justice in 1966 and ceremonial President of Ghana in 1970. The acquittal led to the then president, Nkrumah trying to purge the judiciary. He was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 1966 and to the Supreme Court of Ghana in 1971. This was during the era of the military Supreme Military Council of Ghana. On resumption of democratic rule under Hilla Limann in September 1979, the People's National Party government attempted to replace him as incumbent Chief Justice by insisting he be vetted for the office he already occupied. A Ghanaian citizen, Amoako Tuffuor, took the issue to the Supreme Court and the presiding judge, Justice E. N. P. Sowah, who succeeded him on his (Apaloo's) retirement, ruled that Apaloo became Chief Justice in the Third Republic as soon as the 1979 Ghanaian constitution came into force. He served through the third republic of Ghana and continued after the overthrow of the Limann government on 31 December 1981. Due to his independence, the new military government, the Provisional National Defence Council led by Jerry Rawlings also tried to remove him as Nkrumah had tried before but failed in 1983. He retired at the age of 65 years in 1986. He was noted to be against the death penalty while he was in Kenya. He remained Chief Justice until 1995

Other positions He also served on the World Bank Administrative Tribunal from 1990 until 1995.

Personal life Apaloo married Georgina Kumasenu in 1953. They had two sons and three daughters.

Honours 1979 – Companion of the Order of the Volta (Ghana) 1986 -Elected a fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences 1993 – Elder of the Golden Heart (Kenya).

Hobbies Apaloo's hobbies included dancing, boating and golf and tennis.