The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has nominated Lady Justice Martha Koome for appointment as the next Chief Justice.
After a fortnight of interviews with various candidates, Justice Koome’s name has since been forwarded to President Uhuru Kenyatta for appointment to replace retired CJ David Maraga.
If appointed, she will become Kenya’s first female Chief Justice, but just who exactly is Lady Justice Martha Koome?
Justice Martha Koome pursued her degree in law at the University of Nairobi (UoN) where she graduated in 1986 and later proceeded to the Kenya School of Law the following year.
She set up her private legal practice in 1988 before joining the Judiciary in 2003. She practised across various institutions all over the country, during which time she also served as a council member of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK).
Lady Justice Martha was promoted to the Court of Appeal in 2011 and, in September that same year, elected the Chairperson of the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA).
At one time, she served as the Chairperson of the National Council on the Administration of Justice special task force on children matters where she helped steer the review and implementation of the Children’s Act.
These, among her other endeavours on the welfare of children, in 2020 earned her acknowledgement as the runner-up for the 2020 UN in Kenya Person of the Year.
Dr Amado Philip de Andrés, the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Representative for Eastern Africa presented her with a Certificate of Commendation at the UN Office in Nairobi.
The original article was posted on Citizen TV Website
