Chief Justice Martha Koome launches memoir sharing her journey from village life to Kenya’s top judge

Friday evening’s official launch of Courting Courage, a new memoir that traces Martha Koome’s life from her childhood in Kithiu village to her historic appointment in 2021 as Kenya’s top judicial official and President of the Supreme Court represented more than the publication of her life story, said the Chief Justice.

“It was more than a book launch but a celebration of justice, resilience, and the enduring strength of the rule of law and my history growing up,” shared Koome afterwards. She said she was proud to have launched her autobiography at the Safari Park Hotel, surrounded by family, dear friends, and distinguished guests.

The presence as special guest and keynote speaker of Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the former President of Liberia and the first elected female head of state in Africa, was particularly moving for Chief Justice Koome. “Her grace, wisdom, and trailblazing leadership continue to inspire generations across our continent.”

Sirleaf, who was co-winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for her non-violent struggle for women’s safety and rights and fostering peace-building and reconciliation after Liberia’s civil war, delivered a keynote address at the launch of Courting Courage, emphasising honesty, humility, and hard work in leadership.

Senior members of the judiciary, the Kenyan bar, leaders from across government and others joined Koome’s family and friends to create “a powerful gathering of minds committed to justice and nation-building” in Nairobi on Friday evening.

Outgoing Law Society of Kenya President Faith Odhiambo and her successor Charles Kanjama SC were both in attendance, among many colleagues.

“The reflections shared during the evening, together with the presence of Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, brought into focus the kind of steadiness, conviction and courage that leadership in the law truly demands,” said Kanjama, who had become President Elect following the Law Society elections the previous day. “The book honours a remarkable personal journey shaped by discipline and service, while speaking to the deeper values that sustain our legal system. Congratulations, Your Ladyship, on a milestone that will inspire many in the profession and beyond.”

Produced by leading East African publishing house Moran Publishers, Courting Courage is the Chief Justice’s attempt to answer the many questions about her life, as she shares her story from growing up in a traditional African village facing discrimination and cultural prejudice, and the efforts her visionary mother made for her education, to her decision to pursue a legal career to fight for the rights of women and children, working in private practice, chairing FIDA-Kenya and intensifying her advocacy work for women and children, to her appointment to the judiciary and climbing the legal ladder to become Kenya’s first female Chief Justice.

“This biography is more than just a memoir,” she said. “It is a manual for perseverance, a masterclass in servant leadership, and a beacon for those navigating the shadows of doubt, particularly in societies where women are still expected to know their ‘place’.”

Courting Courage is a must-read for law students, lecturers, lawyers, Advocates, Magistrates and Judges as well as knowledge seeking civilians, said Nelson Havi SC who was President of the Law Society of Kenya when Koome became Chief Justice.

Henriette Geiger, the European Union ambassador to Kenya, was also in attendance. Koome’s story, she said, is “deeply moving, a life of resilience and courage, persisting even in the face of multiple challenges”, and an example that can inspire us all.

Reflecting on a book launch that was an “evening of pomp and colour, of reflection and celebration, of legacy and and hope”, Chief Justice Koome shared that she was also reminded that leadership is never a solitary journey. “It is shaped by community, conviction, and courage. History was not only written in ink, but witnessed in unity.”