CJ Koome and meaning of global award

Kenya's Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court, Hon Justice Martha K Koome, has received the inaugural international Sejong Award for Legal Excellence, an honour that carries significance far beyond the ceremony at which it was conferred in Seoul.

Presented jointly by the Supreme Court of Korea and the World Bank Group, the Award recognises contributions to the rule of law, judicial development, access to justice, protection of socially vulnerable people and international judicial cooperation. Chief Justice Koome was selected as the first international recipient, while the Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations was honoured as the inaugural national recipient for seven decades of legal aid and protection of vulnerable citizens.

For Kenya, this is a moment of immense national pride. It celebrates the country's first woman Chief Justice and places Kenyan judicial leadership at the foundation of a new global tradition of legal excellence. It is also a recognition of an idea that has increasingly defined Kenya's justice transformation: that the law is most meaningful when it can be reached, understood and experienced by the people it exists to serve.

Distinguished leadership

The Kenya Embassy in Seoul described the recognition as a tribute to the Chief Justice's distinguished leadership and lifelong commitment to the rule of law, access to justice, judicial independence and the protection of women, children and other vulnerable members of society. The mission also hailed it as a powerful affirmation of Kenyan women's leadership on the international stage and an important milestone in the growing relationship between the judiciaries of Kenya and Korea.

The award draws its moral force from King Sejong the Great, one of Korea's most revered leaders. His creation of Hunminjeongeum, the writing system that evolved into modern Hangeul, was not merely a linguistic achievement. It was an act of public inclusion. By making reading and writing easier for ordinary people, King Sejong widened their ability to communicate, learn and seek the protection of the law.

 At the inaugural ceremony, Chief Justice of Korea Jo Hee-de situated that legacy in distinctly judicial terms: law and institutions, he said, should not be instruments of rule alone, but should care for and protect people's lives. His central proposition that no one should remain outside the protection of law and public institutions captures the enduring philosophy of the award.

 That philosophy finds a natural home in Kenya. The Constitution promises access to justice for every person and calls for justice to be administered without undue delay. It also recognises alternative forms of dispute resolution. The Sejong ideal and Kenya's constitutional vision therefore meet on common ground: the dignity of the person, the inclusion of the marginalised and the conviction that institutions earn legitimacy through service.

 Chief Justice Koome gave institutional expression to that conviction through Social Transformation through Access to Justice, commonly known as STAJ. First articulated soon after she assumed office in 2021 and later developed into a long-term Blueprint, STAJ asks the Judiciary to measure success not only through judgments delivered or cases concluded, but through the justice outcomes experienced by ordinary people.

Shared humanity

 Its organising ethic is utu: the Kenyan idea of shared humanity, dignity, kindness and interconnectedness. Under STAJ, the Judiciary is not simply a forum that waits for disputes to arrive. It is a justice enabler, promoter, connector and provider, working with formal and informal institutions to prevent injustice, resolve disputes and strengthen people's ability to claim their rights.

 This is why the reform agenda is deliberately multi-door. Courts remain indispensable, but different disputes may require different pathways. Nationwide e-filing and virtual proceedings reduce the tyranny of distance. Court Annexed Mediation allows parties to resolve disputes consensually, often preserving family, community and commercial relationships. Alternative Justice Systems recognise appropriate community-based approaches while subjecting them to the Constitution, human rights and the dignity of every person. Small Claims Courts provide simpler and faster avenues for citizens and small enterprises for whom prolonged litigation may itself become an injustice.

 The same people-centred logic guides reforms in child justice and gender justice. Equality cannot mean ignoring the different barriers faced by children, survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable court users. Specialised and trauma-sensitive processes are necessary if the courtroom is to be a place of protection rather than another site of harm.

 An international assessment of the Blueprint by the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law described STAJ as one of the world's most explicitly people-centred judiciary strategies. Its importance lies in its breadth: it takes responsibility not only for the disputes already filed in court, but for the justice problems that shape livelihoods, families and communities long before they reach a courthouse.

 The Sejong Award matters because it validates the direction of Kenya's reform journey.

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The author is the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Chief Justice of the Republic of Kenya.