NAIROBI, Kenya May 7 – Chief Justice Martha Koome on Thursday led the Judiciary family and members of the legal fraternity in honouring the late Frederick Ochieng during closing of file proceedings held in Nairobi.
Justice Ochieng, a Judge of the Court of Appeal, passed away in September 2025 after a distinguished legal and judicial career spanning decades.
The proceedings were presided over by CJ Koome alongside Court of Appeal President 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.
In her tribute, CJ Koome described Justice Ochieng as a jurist of rare distinction who served the Judiciary with dedication, courage and fairness.
She said the late judge upheld the Constitution with fidelity, dispensed justice with compassion and treated all litigants with dignity.
Justice Ochieng joined the Judiciary in 2003 as a High Court judge after close to two decades in private legal practice at Kaplan and Stratton Advocates.
According to the Chief Justice, his extensive background in commercial and civil law gave him exceptional depth and understanding that shaped his judicial work throughout his career.
She noted that Justice Ochieng served in several High Court stations and divisions, including Kitale, Kakamega, the Civil Division, Criminal Division and the Commercial and Admiralty Division in Nairobi before later becoming 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,” CJ Koome said.
The Chief Justice further hailed Justice Ochieng as a towering figure in the development of Kenya’s commercial law jurisprudence and a key champion of alternative dispute resolution.
At the time of his death, he was serving as Chairperson of the Court-Annexed Mediation Taskforce, where he spearheaded efforts to expand mediation as part of the Judiciary’s access-to-justice initiatives.
CJ Koome said his work helped promote peaceful and party-driven conflict resolution while advancing a more humane and efficient justice system.
She also remembered him as a warm and approachable judge who balanced humour with sharp legal intellect.
“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,” she said.
The Chief Justice urged members of the Judiciary and legal profession to emulate the values Justice Ochieng stood for, including fairness, integrity, adherence to the rule of law and people-centred justice.
Other speakers at the proceedings described the late judge as a brilliant legal mind who used the law as an instrument for social transformation through well-researched decisions often delivered with humour.
They praised his humility, integrity and commitment to mentorship, saying his contribution to the legal profession and administration of justice would remain a lasting legacy.
The National Assembly Speaker, who attended the proceedings, remembered Justice Ochieng as a devoted family man, hardworking jurist and honest public servant.