Senior Counsel Judy Thongori, one of Kenya’s most distinguished legal practitioners, is dead.
Thongori passed away on Tuesday, January 14 evening after a brief illness. According to her family, she suddenly fell seriously ill last week and was flown to India for treatment, where she succumbed.
Chief Justice Martha Koome has eulogised Thongori as a trailblazer in the legal profession and a passionate advocate for justice, particular in matters affecting families, women and children.
In a passionate tribute on Wednesday, January 15, CJ Koome recalled when she worked closely with Thongori at FIDA-Kenya. Koome served as the Chairperson, while the late Thongori led the Legal Department “with unmatched dedication and brilliance” in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
“Her leadership was instrumental in positioning FIDA-Kenya as a formidable force in using the law to protect the rights, interests, and dignity of vulnerable women, children and the family well-being. Ms. Thongori personified the promise of the law as a tool for empowerment. Her pivotal contributions to advocacy, family law reform, and shaping legal practice at the Family Division of the High Court profoundly impacted the development of family law in Kenya and inspired a generation of legal professionals.”
After her remarkable tenure at FIDA-Kenya, Thongori transitioned to private practice, where she rose to prominence as one of the country’s foremost family law practitioners.
Her commitment to sharing knowledge and mentoring young advocates, CJ Koome says, further underscored her dedication to advancing the legal profession.
“Her insights and expertise were evident even in recent times. Just last November, during the Supreme Court @ 12 Conference, Ms. Thongori enriched a panel discussion on emerging family law jurisprudence emanating from the Supreme Court of Kenya. Her contributions to the legal discourse, particularly in family law and human rights, leave behind a lasting and transformative legacy.”
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has also eulogised Thongori.
Raila’s eulogy
I join the Senior Bar, The Law Society of Kenya, and the nation at large in mourning the untimely death of Snr Counsel Judy Thongori whom we lost today. Ms Thongori has been a permanent presence in the country’s ever evolving struggle for justice, freedom and efforts to put family at the centre of our existence as a nation. To many who embraced activism as a platform for fighting for change and especially to young lawyers looking to make a difference, Ms Thongori has been something of the ultimate inspiration. She combined the skills of a lawyer, writer and activism to pursue impactful change and curve her place in Kenya and beyond. She had the courage to fight in courts and the streets for those targeted for fighting for a better country. Judy is part of a generation that sought to provide light to the cause of justice when the night was pitch dark, who kept pressing no matter the odds on the path and who became living testimony that resilience and courage bring rewards. We wish her well in her next journey. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends to whom she has bequeathed a sound and honorable legacy.
