Court of Appeal Judge Justice Fred Ochieng has died, Chief Justice Martha Koome has confirmed.
In a statement on Wednesday, September 17, the Chief Justice announced the death, hailing Justice Ochieng as a sharp legal mind committed to justice.
She also lauded him as a champion for various legal disciplines like commercial law and mediation, even before he joined the judiciary in 2003.
"He will be fondly remembered as a towering figure in the development of Kenya's commercial law jurisprudence and as a strong advocate for the promotion of alternative dispute resolution," Koome stated.
At the time of his passing, he was serving as Chairperson of the Court Annexed Mediation Taskforce, spearheading the national roll-out of court-annexed mediation.
Among other legal minds who have since mourned the late judge is former Law Society of Kenya President Nelson Havi, who hailed Justice Ochieng as a fair judge to whom he had won and lost several cases.
He also praised his jovial nature, which he noted did not get in the way of how deliberate he was in determining case resolutions.
"A jovial, comical, but deliberate and decisive Judge he was. I won and lost many cases before Justice Fred Ochieng, but never appealed and defended any appeal from him," Havi stated.
"Everyone was satisfied. A good Judge has signed and delivered his final decision. There is no right of appeal."
After joining the Judiciary in 2003 as a High Court judge, Justice Ochieng was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2022.
As a High Court Judge, he served in several stations in Kitale, Kakamega, Kisumu, the Civil and Criminal Divisions, and the Commercial and Admiralty Division.
Before then, he was a long-serving advocate of the High Court of Kenya. The cause of his death has yet to be revealed at the time of publication of this article.
