Chief Justice Martha Koome, on Saturday, November 1, led a delegation from the Judiciary to condole with the family of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The delegation also included Supreme Court judges, Justice William Ouko and his Counterpart Justice Njoki Ndung'u.
During her visit to Bondo, Siaya County, Koome mourned Odinga, describing him as a statesman whose name will forever be inscribed in the annals of Kenya's democracy.
According to the CJ, Odinga was a towering figure who, through sacrifice and courage, helped hold together the fragile threads of the country's national unity.
She noted that while most Kenyans remember Raila for the three defining presidential election petitions, Koome maintained that Odinga began the fight for Kenya's democracy long before the three landmark cases.
"It is often forgotten that long before then, in the 1980s and 1990s, Hon. Raila was one of Kenya’s foremost public interest justice champions," Martha Koome commented.
"He helped shape Kenya’s early rights jurisprudence and broadened the scope of constitutional accountability. His persistence compelled our courts to grapple with the meaning of liberty, legality, and justice," she added.
Koome also recalled representing the former Prime Minister in court in the late 90s, following the latter's arrest during former President Daniel Moi's regime, which is considered by many to be one of the country's most repressive regimes.
The CJ narrated how Mama Ida Odinga approached her, while she was only 26 years old, urging her to represent Raila in court after several years of detention without trial.
"I was only 26 years old. That encounter gave me a firsthand appreciation of Raila’s remarkable courage, his unbreakable spirit, and his unyielding faith in the ideals of freedom and justice," Koome said.
Koome also reminisced about working alongside the deceased veteran opposition leader in the push for a new constitutional order and for the expansion of Kenya’s democratic space.
She also described Odinga as a leader who stood out with conviction, deeply committed to constitutionalism, the rule of law, and democratic governance.
