Woman who sends the wheels of justice spinning

Joan Pereruan | nation Registrar of the High Court Lydia Achode swears in Chief Justic Evan Gicheru during the promulgation ceremony at Uhuru Park in Nairobi last Friday.

By JOY WANJA jwanja@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Monday, August 30 2010 at 22:00
In Summary

Achode brought together all 327 magistrates and 17 kadhis on short notice for the swearing-in ceremony that was brought forward from Saturday to Friday

Her spirit is exuberant, her gait graceful and one may not match it to the weight of the Judiciary that falls on her shoulders.

Ms Lydia Awino Achode is the Registrar of the High Court and advocate who played a key role during the promulgation ceremony.

“We worked round the clock to ensure the ceremony was perfect,” she told the Nation at the High Court on Monday.

The occasion brought together the three arms of government to usher in what will strengthen the trio in days to come.

“The changes have come at an opportune time when we have been calling for the strengthening of the Judiciary,” she says.

Ms Achode likens the relationship between the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary to the traditional three-stone cooking place where each stone supports the cooking pot.

“That is the collaboration that will be observed because for the meal to be well cooked the pot has to be balanced on the three stones.”

And the pot symbolises the Second Republic.

She was charged with the task of bringing together all 327 magistrates and 17 kadhis on short notice for the swearing in ceremony that was brought forward from Saturday to Friday.

“I received a call at 6pm from a colleague that Parliament had voted to have the ceremony the following day instead of Saturday,” she says.

And the headache of calling the judicial staff in all corners of the country began, a task that she accomplished in less than five hours.

“Everyone was sworn in,” she says flashing a smile.

Away from the robe, hood, wig, belt and sash that are the official attire, lies a mother of four whose passion is taking care of her family.

She graduated top of her law class in 1980; a nun had earlier encouraged her to take up law.

Competently acted

The second born in a family of seven was confirmed as the Registrar after having competently acted in that capacity for three months.

Prior to this she had been the chief court administrator having been appointed to that position in 2004.

She began her career as a district magistrate II at the Kericho Law Courts in 1986 and was promoted two years later to the post of Resident Magistrate.

She was posted to Makadara Law Courts in Nairobi where she served from 1988 to 1994. In 1994 she was transferred to Mombasa as a Senior Resident Magistrate.

Her diligence was again recognised when she was promoted to Principle Magistrate in 2000 and to Senior Principle Magistrate 2004.

She was appointed anti-corruption magistrate in Coast Region and North-Eastern Province in the year 2004, a position she held until she got appointed as the chief court administrator.

At the swearing in, President Kibaki urged the new judges to adhere to the rule of law.

“I am sure you are capable and will perform your duties well.”

She envisions a country where citizens are conversant with their rights and understand the law.

“Some Kenyans are only aware of us once they have been arrested and arraigned in a court or when a relative is in trouble or whenever a dispute arises,” she says, and urges Kenyans to take more interest in the new document.

The Judiciary will keep the pens the president used to sign the new Constitution. “It is part of our history and a symbol of our rebirth,” she concludes.