By Vivian Navate
Chief Justice Martha Koome urged judges and magistrates to remain united and committed to justice, equality, and human dignity.
In a speech delivered on her behalf by Justice Samson Okong’o Emeritus, Koome during the official opening of the 2025 Annual General Conference of the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA) held at the Argyle Grand Hotel, Nairobi.
The Chief Justice’s speech, themed “Adjudicating Reproductive Rights to Bridge Inequality,” called on judges and magistrates to remain united and committed to justice, equality, and dignity for all.
In her address, read by Justice Okong’o, the Chief Justice praised KMJA as “one of the most important pillars of our Judiciary,” describing it as “a common home that binds together Judges, Magistrates, and Kadhis into one community of justice.”
She emphasized that the Judiciary’s strength lies in its diversity and shared purpose, noting that “our Judiciary is enriched by the wisdom of our senior colleagues, the innovation of our younger officers, and the enthusiasm of newly appointed judges.”
On the conference theme, the Chief Justice highlighted that reproductive rights are central to Kenya’s constitutional vision of equality and dignity. “These rights are not peripheral issues; they lie at the heart of human rights and the constitutional vision of a just society,” she stated, citing Articles 27 and 43 of the Constitution.
She urged judicial officers to interpret such cases with empathy and courage, acknowledging their complexity. “We must approach these matters with judicial courage, sensitivity, and fidelity to the Constitution,” she said.
The Chief Justice linked the theme to the Judiciary’s Social Transformation through Access to Justice (STAJ) vision, saying that fair and inclusive adjudication of reproductive rights helps bridge social and gender inequalities.
She concluded by urging judicial officers to continue nurturing unity within the institution.
“Let us remain faithful to the ideals that make KMJA a strong, united, and caring professional home,” she said
