Chief Justice Martha Koome has called for the appointment of more female judges to serve in the superior courts.

Koome said that out of 207 serving Judges, 42 per cent are female while 58 per cent are male compared to magistrate courts where women magistrates comprise 58 per cent of the 570 magistrates.

She further enumerated 43 per cent of the Supreme Court Judges, 34 per cent of Court of Appeal Judges, 45 per cent of High Court Judges, 40 per cent of Environment and Land Court Judges and 38 per cent of Employment and Labour Relations Court to be women jurists.

She underscored the importance of women’s inclusion in the justice sector saying female leaders in law bring unique insights that help humanize justice, ensuring that laws are applied with empathy and fairness.

“Leadership is not about occupying positions of authority alone; it is about inspiring change, influencing policies, and shaping the future,” she said.

The CJ highlighted some of the measures the Judiciary has adopted to make it friendly to its female employees including Gender Mainstreaming, Diversity, and Sexual Harassment Policies.

“In addition, early this year, we operationalized an Employee Protection Unit, within the Office of the Chief Justice, to investigate and handle complaints relating to sexual harassment and other complaints from employees in a victim-centred manner. This is to ensure that the Judiciary’s employees work in a supportive and conducive environment that is favourable to their career aspirations,” Koome stated.

Additionally, Koome said that there are now Gender Justice Courts, which are victim-centred and trauma-informed courts that are supportive of victims of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in their quest for justice.