April 29th 2021 at 09:00:00 GMT +0300
Kenyans do not have an accent. We say certain things which have been influenced by our culture and the rotating door of accents we were subjected to by primary school teachers. We say things like “I am almost” and “Let me tell you, Maina”, and the only people who can really understand us are other Kenyans.
In fact, the closest thing we have to an accent is the dialect our champions give interviews in after conquering the world of athletics.
Kenyans, however, have a unique ability to absorb and immediately adopt foreign accents. Seeing as we do not have one of our own, it was only fitting that we shopped for one.
THE STANDARD
COUNTIES
Retired Chief Justices; Willy Mutunga and David Maraga (inset), and Court of Appeal Judge Lady Justice Martha Koome. [File, The Standard]
• Born in 1960
• Started as a legal associate at Mathenge and Muchemi Advocates until 1993
• Started her own law firm in 2003
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• Promoted to the Court of Appeal in 2012
• Holds a Master of Laws in Public International Law from the University of London 2010
• Has a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Nairobi (1986)
• The United Nations recognised her on October 2020 with a runner-up award as UN Kenya Person of The Year 2020
What she said in the interview On backlog of cases:
Kenya is poised to have its first woman Chief Justice in the history of the country.
The Court of Appeal Judge Martha Koome emerged as the best candidate out of ten applicants for the position.
THE STANDARD
NATIONAL
Court of Appeal Judge Martha Koome. [File, Standard]
Court of Appeal Judge Martha Koome has been selected to succeed Chief Justice David Maraga.
Her name will be forwarded to President Uhuru Kenyatta for transmission to the National Assembly for vetting.
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) announced on Tuesday that Koome, 61, emerged the best candidate out of the ten applicants for the position.
The announcement was made by JSC Chairperson, Prof. Olive Mugenda, in a brief address to journalists on Tuesday evening.
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Her confirmation came barely hours after the Court of Appeal overturned a lower court’s ruling, which had barred the JSC from announcing the CJ contest winner pending determination of a petition.
Martha Koome Profile: Fida Activist Set to Become Chief Justice
27 April 2021 - 6:35 pm
Court of Appeal judge Martha Koome appearing before the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on Wednesday, April 14
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Courts of Appeal Judge Martha Koome is on the cusp of making history as the country s first ever female Chief Justice.
Raised from a humble village in Miriiga Mieru in Meru county, the respected judge has beaten stereotypes throughout her career to rank among the top legal minds in the country.
During her vetting, the no-nonsense judge was grilled for her 2017 ruling that she made at night without the approval of the then Chief Justice David Maraga.