Doings, Non-Doings and Mis-Doings by Kenya Chief Justices 1963-1998

by Justice Abdul Majid Cockar, EGH

The Doings, Non-Doings and Mis-Doings by Kenya Chief Justices 1963-1998 is the very first authoritative account by an 'insider' of the political and professional dynamics at play in the administration of justice, and among those who dispense it, in independent Kenya. Legal experts have commented on Kenya's Chief Justices but (Rtd.) Chief Justice Abdul Majid Cockar is the very first Chief Justice to put pen to paper to give us a very personal account of the everyday goings-on which impinged on his career in the Kenya Judiciary from 1961 to 1998.

The timing of the publication is a godsend given the astronomical expectations Kenyans have placed on judicial reforms, expectations which in my view, must be managed.

Dr. Willy Mutunga, D. Jur, SC, EGH
Chief Justice and President
High Court of Kenya

Paperback

Published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Salem Lorot · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a dearth of books on experiences of players in Kenya's justice sector. Memoirs are hard to come by. The lives of illustrious and respectable advocates are few and far between. A book by a retired Judge, nonetheless a former Chief Justice, is rare. That is why a book like this, written by Justice Cockar, is a godsend. It is a narration of the experiences of one who rose through the ranks from being a Magistrate to a Chief Justice. And in the story, he reveals his weaknesses, the fault-lines in the Judiciary, the corruption, the bare-it-all account of all Chief Justices up till his retirement.

One gets an "insider-view" of corruption in the judiciary over time, the unblemished reputation of some the Judges and magistrates, the fall from glory of the corrupt, the intrigues in fight for elevation even when unmerited, the "Destiny" that Justice Cockar calls in shaping his trajectory in life and the judiciary, the humorous instances (like CJ Trevelyan's toilet incident), the Executive- Judiciary power play. It is regrettable that some ended their careers because of alcohol and financial debt, others by incompetence. CJ Miller, his domestic woes and helplessness with alcohol ended his life prematurely. Such are human foibles. One gets a bird's eye view of the Judiciary from independence to the year 1998.

At the end, one learns this: Ambition is good but blind, unmerited ambition is a slippery slope; many have slid into their oblivion. Hard-won achievement by dint of hardwork and sheer patience is the surest path. "Destiny" is ordered.