From prison to becoming a Supreme Court Justice: The motivational story of Yonny Kunendi

Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi is a name that reverberates in Ghana’s judicial system.

The person behind the name is a Supreme Court justice who was sworn in by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a member of Ghana’s apex court.

From his poor village of Issa in the Upper West Region, Justice Kulendi beat a stack of odds against him to build for himself a beautiful legal career.

Coming from a place of limited education facilities and opportunities, the son of a World War II veteran and a pito seller had to work double hard to attain success.

He had his early education at Ndama Primary School before proceeding to Wa Secondary School (now Wa Senior High School). During his fifth year in secondary school, he spent almost two years in the Wa prisons on remand and this incident made him resolve all the more to be a lawyer.

He entered the University of Ghana where he was awarded his bachelor of laws degree in 1992. He continued at the Ghana School of Law where he obtained his license to became a barrister-at-law in 1994.
He holds a master of arts degree in International Security and Civil-Military Relations from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, United States

Kulendi had his national service at the Legal Aid Board of Accra. After his service, he joined the Akufo-Addo, Prempeh, and Co. Chambers, where he underwent pupillage.

He later founded his own law firm, Kulendi @ Law, where he worked as the firm’s managing partner until his appointment to the bench. As a lawyer, his areas of expertise included; Investments, Securities, Commercial Law, Criminal Law, and Litigation.

Kulendi is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Africa Leadership Initiative-West Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. He also served as an examiner at the Ghana School of Law.

On 17 March 2020 the president, Nana Akufo-Addo informed the then-Speaker of Parliament, Mike Oquaye that consultations had been completed for the nomination of Kulendi and three other persons to be made justices of the Supreme Court of Ghana.

The speaker announced his nomination together with three others to parliament on 19 March 2020 for vetting and approval.

Kulendi was vetted together with Justice Joy Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu on Tuesday 12 May 2020. Following his vetting by parliament, Kulendi was approved by parliament on Wednesday 20 May 2020, and sworn into office on Tuesday 26 May 2020.

Kulendi became the first Ghanaian from the Upper West Region to be appointed to serve on Ghana’s highest court of jurisdiction. His appointment also now makes him a part of a small group of persons who were called to the Supreme Court bench directly from the bar.

They include; Edward Akufo-Addo who went on to become a Chief Justice of Ghana and the second president of Ghana, Justice Robert Samuel Blay who became the first president of the Ghana Bar Association, and Justice Nene Amegatcher who was also once president of the Ghana Bar Association.

In October 2021, Justice Kulendi made a strong case against the imposition of “needless” remand conditions on accused persons.

He also raised issues with how some judges have a habit of remanding suspects when granting the bail would have in his estimation made sense.

Justice Kulendi emphasized that remand should not be viewed as another form of punishment for accused persons.

According to him, the harsh bail conditions and other things have made justice delivery unfair and difficult in the country.

“A judge can grant bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 with three sureties, two to be justified and two of them must be civil servants. Which law says that one has to be a civil servant to bail an accused person?” he queried.

“Let’s make only those who must be kept in prison be in prison. If a person has not been found guilty, he should not be needlessly remanded,” he said.

Ahead of the retirement of Chief Justice Anim Yeboah, Justice Kulendi was tipped to be named as his successor.

He was reported to be in line to replace the outgoing chief justice but missed out when President Akufo-Addo on April 25, 2023, named Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo as the next Chief Justice.

Kulendi is married, and a father of four.