Her Ladyship Martha K. Koome became embroiled in controversy when she banned lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi from appearing before the Court, citing negative remarks he had made towards the court and the judges.

In retaliation, petitions of her removal as a judge have been brought against her and the Supreme Court Bench regarding their conduct in how they handled the matter.  This has left her scrambling at the High Court to obtain conservatory orders to prevent the JSC from conducting any investigation. CJ Koome states that the applications against her and the Supreme Court Judges at the JSC are a ploy to create a constitutional crisis by creating a vacuum of power at the apex court as the investigations by JSC will call for the suspension of the judges. 

CJ Koome became Kenya’s first female Chief Justice (CJ) on May 21, 2021, when she took over from Chief Justice David Maraga. She also assumed office as the President of the Supreme Court of Kenya. Prior to her appointment as the 15th Chief Justice of the Republic of Kenya, she was a Senior Judge of the Court of Appeal. As an Appellate Judge, she headed the Criminal Division of the Court and chaired committees which developed the Court of Appeal Practice Directions in Civil and Criminal Appeals as well as the Registry Manual that standardised the registry experience at the Court. 

The Chief Justice joined the Judiciary in 2003 as a High Court Judge, where she served until 2011. In that period, she was engaged in leadership and administrative roles within the Court as the Resident Judge of the High Court in Nakuru and Kitale as well as the Head of the then Land and Environment Division of the High Court at Nairobi. She holds an LLB degree from the University of Nairobi, a Post-graduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law, and an LLM degree from the University of London.

Upon her admission to the roll of advocates in 1987, she was a legal practitioner for 15 years, engaging in conveyancing, commercial law, civil litigation, criminal litigation and family law. She has also been actively engaged in multiple community service projects and has promoted children and family matters through volunteer and pro bono services.

CJ Koome was a Council Member of the Law of Society of Kenya between 1994 and 1996. She was involved in the formation of the East African Law Society in 1995 and even acted as the inaugural Treasurer. She participated in the discussions towards the enactment of the East African Community Treaty and institutions of the Community, such as the East African Court of Justice.

In 1997, she was elected Chairperson of the Federation of Women Lawyers Kenya Chapter (FIDA Kenya) and served in that position for two consecutive terms. In 2005, she was a member of the African Union Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. That same year, she led the Kenyan delegation to Beijing during the major review of the Beijing Platform for Action.

She participated in the law review process, which gave rise to the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. She became the President of the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA) in 2019, as well as an official of the East Africa Magistrates and Judges Association.

Most recently, Hon. Justice Koome was voted runner-up for the United Nations Kenya Person of the Year 2020 for her leadership and advocacy concerning the rights of children. As Chief Justice, she chairs the Judicial Service Commission, the National Council on the Administration of Justice and the National Council for Law Reporting.