Wetang’ula joins Judiciary in celebrating Justice Andago’s life

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula on Thursday evening joined Judiciary leadership led by Chief Justice Martha Koome, Judges of the Supreme Court and members of the Bar at the Supreme Court of Kenya for the ceremonial closure of the file of the late Court of Appeal judge Justice Frederick Ochieng’ Andago.

The proceedings marked the formal conclusion of Justice Andago’s judicial record within the Judiciary and brought together senior judicial officers and members of the legal profession to honour his service.

Wetang’ula, speaking on behalf of the University of Nairobi Class of 1981, paid tribute to the late judge, describing him as a principled and forthright jurist whose career was defined by integrity, fairness, and unwavering service to justice and human dignity.

He noted that Justice Andago’s legacy would continue to inspire generations within Kenya’s legal fraternity.

“May his soul rest in eternal peace!”

Justice Ochieng, who died in September 2025, was remembered as a distinguished jurist, a champion of mediation and alternative dispute resolution, and a judge who upheld fairness and integrity throughout his judicial career.

The proceedings were presided over by CJ Koome alongside Court of Appeal President Daniel Musinga, Court of Appeal Judge and Judicial Service Commission commissioner Fatuma Sichale, Employment and Labour Relations Court Principal Judge Monica Mbaru and Environment and Land Court Principal Judge Oscar Angote.

In her tribute, Koome described Justice Ochieng as a judge who served with fidelity and courage while dispensing justice with fairness and dignity.

“He served with fidelity, upheld the Constitution with courage, dispensed justice with fairness, and treated all who came before him with dignity,” Koome said.

The Chief Justice said 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.

She noted that his experience in commercial and civil litigation shaped his judicial approach and enabled him to deliver well-reasoned decisions throughout his tenure on the bench.

Koome said the late judge served in several stations and divisions of the High Court, including Kitale, Kakamega, Kisumu, the Criminal Division and the Commercial and Admiralty Division in Nairobi.

“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.

The Chief Justice further described Justice Ochieng as one of the leading figures in Kenya’s commercial law jurisprudence and praised his efforts in promoting alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

“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,” Koome said.