- Koome was appointed as the CJ and President of the Supreme Court in May 2021, becoming the first woman to descent to the position.
- Since then, she has taken advantage of the evolving digital technology by implementing virtual courts and digital recording of court proceedings.
Image: JUDICIARY/X
Chief Justice Martha Koome has been named among the top 60 most transformative CEOs who are impacting the economy in the country .
In the list compiled by The Knowledge Warehouse Kenya CEO Hanningtone Gaya, Koome was named at position 12 of the 60 leaders and decision-makers.
Gaya described Koome as an honest person, who is not afraid to speak truth to power and especially when the integrity of the constitution is at stake.
He further noted that the President of the Supreme Court is a strong advocate of peace and unity, who has constantly challenged politicians to rise above the petty politics.
The publication recalled one of the times when she dared call the political class during the National Prayer Breakfast.
"I pray for those who might be tempted to divide our nation for their selfish reasons. This country belongs to everyone, and not just politicians," Koome said.
Koome was appointed as the CJ and President of the Supreme Court in May 2021, becoming the first woman to ascent to the position.
Since then, she has taken advantage of the evolving digital technology by implementing virtual courts and digital recording of court proceedings.
This has enhanced accuracy and efficiency of court operations and also brought justice closer to Kenyans.
There has been lesser cases of missing court records compared to the time before the reforms.
CJ Koome has also established additional courts the remote regions of the country in a bid to ensure justice is accessible to all Kenyans.
Further, she has increased specialised divisions within the High Court and the Court of Appeal.
"Her commitment to increasing the appointment of judges for both courts has been instrumental in reducing the backlog of cases," Gaya noted.
Among the cases that CJ Koome has been involved in is the overseeing of the 2022 presidential elections petition.
Koome presided over the seven-judge bench which confirmed President William Ruto's IEBC win.
"We're satisfied that the IEBC carried out the verification, tallying and declaration of results in accordance with the constitution," the September 2022," ruling reads in part.
The ruling by Koome's team, Gaya noted, paved the way for a peaceful transition of power from fourth President Uhuru Kenyatta to Ruto.
In March 2022, Koome took part in the quashing of the broad constitutional reforms dubbed Building Bridges Initiatives (BBI).
In her ruling, Koome cited various issues including that the basic structure of the BBI was not applicable in Kenya and that multiple referendum questions were not ripe for determination.
Image: FILE
Koome begun her career as a Legal Associate in 1988. This was a year after graduating from the Kenya School of Law (KSL).
She would later start her own law firm as Managing Partner in 1993.
The CJ was among the bold lawyers involved in the clamour to repeal Section 2A of the old Constitution which made the country a one-party state.
She served on the council membership of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), between 1993 and 1996 and as the inaugural treasurer in the East Africa Law Society between 1994 and 1996.
Koome is among the founding members of the Federation of Women Lawyers (Fida) and was elected Chair of the organisation in 1997, serving for two consecutive terms.
She led Fida in championing the establishment of the family division of the High Court, as well as the enactment of laws to protect the rights of families and children.
The CJ moved to the bench in 2003 following her appointment to the High Court by former President Mwai Kibaki and was promoted to the Court of Appeal in 2012.
In 2020, she was honoured as a United Nations (UN) Kenya Person of the Year runner-up for her advocacy to improve the legal rights of women and children in the justice system.
"In her role as the Chief Justice, she has infused the Office with dignity, grace and maturity, displaying a keen sense of discernment when deciding which battles to engage in," Gaya said.
The top 60 persons in the list were selected from a highly competitive pool of 257 strong contenders, representing the public sector, private sector, nonprofit sector, United Nations (UN) agencies and industry lobbyists.