In a heartfelt tribute, Ida Odinga has shared an emotional account of how Chief Justice Martha Koome stood by her family and fought for justice during one of their most trying moments in the 1980s, when Raila Odinga was detained by the government.
Speaking in Bondo on Saturday, November 1, 2025, Ida reflected on their decades-long friendship, revealing how her bond with Koome began in 1988 a time marked by political tension and personal hardship.
“Let me tell you a short story about her,” Ida began. “In September 1988, after I had been dismissed from my teaching job where I had once taught Justice Njoki Ndungu I was desperate. It was about six years after Raila’s first detention. He had been released and, just six months later, detained again.”
The First Meeting
In her search for legal assistance, Ida recalled visiting several law offices, hoping to find someone who would take up her case.
“Someone from England called me and advised me to visit Advocate Shamala’s office,” she said. “By that time, I had already been to the offices of many prominent lawyers.”
It was there that she met a young lawyer who would later rise to the highest judicial office in the country.
“When I arrived, Mr. Shamala told me to go see Martha Koome. I went to her office, saw a young woman, and asked, ‘Can I see Martha Koome?’ She replied, ‘I am Martha Koome.’ I thought to myself, what could this young girl possibly do for me? But I decided to talk to her.”
A Turning Point
What followed, Ida said, changed the course of events.
“From that moment, she moved the world. Martha mobilized other lawyers and stood with me in court the next day to fight for Raila’s release. From then on, she became my lawyer, and that’s where our journey began,” she recounted.
A Legacy of Courage and Service
Ida praised Chief Justice Koome’s determination, compassion, and unwavering pursuit of justice, qualities she says were evident even in her early years as a young advocate.
“I am not surprised that she eventually became the Chief Justice,” Ida remarked. “Her courage and commitment to justice were clear from the very beginning.”
Through this touching reflection, Ida Odinga highlighted not just a personal bond, but also a story of resilience, solidarity, and women’s leadership in Kenya’s pursuit of justice and democracy.
