Chief Justice Martha Koome led the Judiciary family and the legal fraternity in the closing of file proceedings held in honour of the late Justice Frederick Ochieng, Judge of Appeal, who passed away in September 2025.
The CJ presided over the bench comprising of Court of Appeal President Justice Daniel Musinga, Court of Appeal Judge and JSC Commissioner Fatuma Sichale, Employment and Labour Relations Court Principal Judge Monica Mbaru, and Environment and Land Court Principal Judge Oscar Angote,.
CJ Koome noted that Judge Ochieng served with fidelity, upheld the Constitution with courage, dispensed justice with fairness, and treated all who came before him with dignity.
The CJ remembered Justice Ochieng as a jurist of rare distinction who joined the Judiciary in 2003 as a Judge of the High Court, bringing with him nearly two decades of distinguished practice as an Advocate of the High Court at Kaplan and Stratton Advocates.
She explained that the rich experience in commercial and civil practice gave him exceptional depth of understanding, which he deployed with remarkable skill and unwavering commitment throughout his judicial career.
CJ Koome also noted that the late Justice Ochieng served with distinction across several stations and divisions of the High Court. These divisions included the Civil Division, Kitale, Kakamega, the Criminal Division, the Commercial and Admiralty Division in Nairobi, and later as Presiding Judge in Kisumu.
“In every station, he left an indelible mark not only through the judgments he delivered, but also through the manner in which he conducted proceedings with fairness, intellectual rigour, humility, and sensitivity to the human dimensions of legal conflict.” she said.
She termed Justice Ochieng as a towering figure in the development of Kenya’s commercial law jurisprudence. She added that his most enduring legacy lies in his passionate and visionary advocacy for alternative dispute resolution.
“At the time of his passing, he was serving as Chairperson of the Court-Annexed Mediation Taskforce, where he was leading the nationwide implementation of one of the Judiciary’s most transformative access-to-justice initiatives,” said CJ Koome.
Justice Koome noted that through that work, he expanded the frontiers of peaceful and party-driven dispute resolution and advanced a more humane, efficient, and people-centered justice system.
She noted that Justice Ochieng will be remembered as a man of exceptional personal qualities. She added that he possessed the rare gift of making a courtroom feel less like an arena of confrontation and more like a forum for reasoned resolution.
“Indeed, Justice Ochieng was known for his warmth and down to earth style, yet he never allowed that jovial spirit to diminish his legal acuity. He was courteous to litigants, attentive to detail, and unwaveringly fair,” said CJ Koome.
“As we conclude this ceremony, let us recommit ourselves to the values he exemplified: justice delivered with fairness and compassion; unwavering fidelity to the rule of law; and innovative approaches to serving the people, especially through mediation and other people-centered pathways to justice,” she added.
Other speakers at the proceedings celebrated Justice Ochieng as an advocate, practitioner, and judge. They noted that he used the law as a tool for social transformation through well-researched judgments and rulings often blended with humour.
They also described him as a gallant jurist of rare distinction and clarity of mind, who served with fidelity to the rule of law and championed court-annexed mediation and ADR.
Speakers also noted that he discharged his duties at the High Court with distinction, enhancing certainty and strengthening the administration of justice.
They praised his humility, integrity, and mentorship, saying these qualities left a lasting legacy in the legal profession.
The National Assembly Speaker also attended the proceedings. He remembered Justice Ochieng as a devoted family man and a brilliant legal mind. He further praised him as judicious, fair, honest, industrious, and hardworking.
