By Michelle Ndaga
Chief Justice Martha Koome has confirmed the passing of Hon. Justice Fredrick Ochieng Andago, Judge of the Court of Appeal, sending the Judiciary and the legal fraternity into mourning.
In her statement, CJ Koome paid tribute to Justice Ochieng as a towering figure in the development of Kenya’s commercial law jurisprudence and a passionate advocate for alternative dispute resolution.
She noted that at the time of his death, he was serving as Chairperson of the Court Annexed Mediation Taskforce, spearheading the national roll-out of court-annexed mediation.
Justice Ochieng joined the Judiciary in 2003 as a High Court Judge and served in various stations, including Kitale, Kakamega, Kisumu, the Civil and Criminal Divisions, and the Commercial and Admiralty Division, before his elevation to the Court of Appeal in 2022.
Tributes have poured in from across the legal community. Former LSK President Nelson Havi described him as “a jovial, comical but deliberate and decisive Judge.”
“I won and lost many cases before Justice Fred Ochieng’ but never appealed and defended any appeal from him. Everyone was satisfied. A good Judge has signed and delivered his final decision. There is no right of appeal,” Havi said.
Senior Counsel James Ochieng’ Oduol praised Justice Ochieng’s brilliance and incorruptibility, writing:
“Justice Ochieng was cut from a different cloth. He was what every judge ought to be: brilliant in mind, courageous in principle, and allergic to corruption.
He understood that justice is not an ornament for speeches but the lifeblood of a civilized nation. And perhaps that is why he has left so soon. For maybe heaven has need of such judges more than Kenya does, or maybe this earth simply has too little oxygen for both integrity and longevity to coexist on the same bench.”
Justice Ochieng is remembered as a man of integrity, intellect, and dedication to justice, whose judgments earned the respect of litigants and advocates alike.
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