People I admire

Justice Martha Koome was appointed judge in 2003 after 15 years of private practice. Twice, she was elected as chairman of the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) between 1999 and 2003. Koome says her guiding motto is service to the people.

A typical day for me begins with devotion before I leave for the office. I am keen to lead by example and so I ensure I am in the office by 8am. I meet with various departmental heads for a briefing since I am in charge of the Nakuru High Court before heading to the courts at 9am. We work according to a timetable in which the three judges at the station are allocated duties outlining who will handle which cases and when. We handle both civil and criminal cases.

After 5pm, I retire to my house to write judgment and rulings. This is the hardest part as lawyers cite many legal authorities and procedures and I have to decode each of them and rewrite them into simple, logical legal judgments or rulings. I have to research on all the cases, as judges do not have research assistants.

Being a judge is not easy as it is laden with its share of challenges. As a wife to Koome Kiragu and mother of three, I must strike a balance between my demanding job and family. My being posted to Nakuru complicated matters further as I was forced to leave my family in Nairobi.

However, I do my best to keep in touch and I travel to Nairobi every weekend to be with my family. I do not want to be a successful judge, yet fail as a mother and wife.

Another challenge is lack of staff in the judiciary, which leads to a backlog of cases. One of the reasons for this is that the judiciary is not computerized thus a lot of work is done manually. But each of us does our best to do what we humanly can.

Career women should know that as much as they delegate duties, it is not possible to get someone who will instil the same discipline and values to their children as a parent can.

You might hire a house help to stand in the gap while you are away but it is no guarantee that they will see things from your perspective — just the way you have set the standards and limits you want for your children — so you must try hard to be there for the children.

Even though the fact that the job is demanding, the passion to administer justice keeps me going. I like to see a just and better society, where equality for all is embraced and everyone is given space to realise their potential.

In her free time, Justice Koome loves to jog. “It helps me clear my mind after a long day at work and also helps me keep fit.”
Courtesy The East African Standard.