LADY JUSTICE MARY ANG’AWA

Lady Justice Mary Ang’awa’s advocacy for equity in society is ascribable to her family. She told Lawyer magazine in an interview late last year that she learnt gender equity at home, where her mother never made her do anything her brothers would not do.

judge, who always wanted to be a music teacher (she is a pro_ cient pianist) says she studied law by “accident”. A lady state counsel who had been invited to Limuru Girls’ High School, where she attended her ‘A’ Levels, to talk to the girls about careers impressed her with her talk on law and she decided to study it at the university. It was a decision she would never regret a_ er realising that she could ensure justice and equity in society as a judicial officer.

High Court Judge and current chairperson of the Kenya Women Judges Association joined the Judiciary in 1980 as a magistrate a_ er graduating from the University of Nairobi in 1979 and served the public service in di_ erent capacities until her appointment as a judge in 1993.

She served on the Advocates’ Complaints Commission, the Rent Restriction Tribunal and on a commission investigating the Insurance industry. She has served in virtually all stations of the High Court and been a resident judge in two.

She also does a lot of charity work. She is the chairperson of Limuru Girls’ School Old Girls Association and a trustee of the President’s Youth Award, a youth empowerment programme. But she still _ nds time to play the piano at her church. And to climb mountains. As far as her job is concerned, she has scaled many mountains. She has ensured that, as the chairperson of the Kenya Women Judges Association, the members are trained on various aspects of the law, especially in matters of women and children’s rights.

She also says she has o_ en turned her courtroom into a classroom. Every January, she holds business meetings with advocates who handle running down matters to discuss management of cases.

“We usually discuss the di_ culties encountered in court,” she says. Lady justice ang’awa has handled running down cases in the High Court for many years now. Her work involves the award of compensation for personal injuries sustained through the tortuous acts of others. portfolio has differerent aspects ranging from personal injury claims to other cases arising out of mate¬rial damage to property, industrial accidents and medical negligence.

She cherishes the role of public education on legal rights. Justice Ang’awa is arm believer in giving legal aid to those who cannot a_ ord it. She wants advocates to ensure widespread public awareness on rights, especially women’s rights. But she points out that both men and women have to be involved in this education.

A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Justice Ang’awa says there is need for cheaper access to justice as well as alternative ways of dispute resolution which should in turn reduce the workload at the courts. She notes that the Civil Procedure Rule that requires judgment to be delivered in

48 hours aer hearing of a suit has been more observed in breach but does not blame the judicial cers noting that the workload is heavy.

“I try to give my judgments within 48 hours, between two and four days. My philosophy is that every case is important and its judgment should be delivered in time. If I am behind with delivery of judgements then I need to stop and create time to write the judgments,” she told Lawyer.

She points out that time management in the Judiciary is a crucial matter. Her solution to this is case load management, where once a month she holds a call over of cases scheduled for hearing before her for con¬_ rmation that the parties and counsels will be ready for hearing on the appointed date.

“I also insist that the authorities that parties intend to rely on are put in beforehand. Submissions that are then made before me are made simple as the counsels can submit on the law while referring to authorities which are already before the court,” she says. Lady Justice Ang’awa was from February 2007 appointed to the Environment and Land Division. Her solution to the problems of the Judiciary includes the establishment of a judicial training school, employment of professionals to run the court registries, delinking the Judiciary from the Executive and ridding it of corruption.

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