By Winnie Kamau
As Kenya is about to celebrate its 52nd birthday since its formation in 1963 one man who rose from a teacher to being a Chief Justice in Kenya has served in and out of the Judiciary for 50 years. An accomplished sportsman retired Justice Majid Cocker is one who has not only seen Uhuru but also has experienced the pains and the joys of Uhuru. Coker who has been both an outsider and insider of the Judiciary has captured all the moments in his Memoirs Doings Non-doings and Misdoings of Kenyan Chief Justices since 1963 through to his retirement in 1998. We had a chance to visit and get an in depth of his life.
Retired Chief Justice Cocker takes us through the history of Judiciary in his Memoirs The Doings non-doings and Misdoings of Kenyan Chief Justices since 1963 to 1998 gives a glimpse of the vulnerability of the Chief Justices making them mortal.
Frail but firm accompanied by his wife Fahmida Cocker he invites us to his humble home where we get to learn more of his rich history. Cocker who is now 92 years old takes us through the times of the judiciary where he spent for over 30 years rising form a Resident Magistrate in 1963 to the highest echelon of the Judiciary.
The father of two,born in 1923 Cocker was destined to be a teacher and at its best an Asian School Inspector. But as fate would have it his father paid his school fees for him to join his brother in London to study law.
The second Asian Chief Justice to be appointed in the Judiciary after Chunilal Madan graduated from Lincolns Inn University after which he joined his brother Saeed Cocker as partner in his law firm.
“This is where I had first hand experience in the legal world by representing Mau Mau through pauper briefs. A revolution that started from British farms saw many Kenyans face capital punishment. Here me and my brother who also became an Industrial Judge represented among the famed Mau mau leader Waruhiu Itote also known as General China.”
Cocker had his first experience with the white colonial Judges. It was not long before the agitation for the white colonialists to move out of Kenya that opened an opportunity for Cocker and two African lawyers, Sibi Okumu and Argwings Kodhek appointed as Resident Magistrates
Cocker served as a Judge for 17 years before he was appointed as a Chief Justice on 24th December 1994 where he says his experience was one that saw him tackle corruption and laxity in some of the Judicial stations a case in point was in Mombasa.
A man who has seen both the colonial judiciary and the African ran Judiciary he relates his experience as Chief Justice with the current situation as totally different where during his time it was very strict.
Defending his memoirs form critiques saying that his rich experiences urged by many advocates and his peers inspired him to pen them down. Though Cocker praises founding father Jomo Kenyatta and former Attorney General Charles Njonjo for their firm hand in steering the country from the colonial period. His parting shot is that he is suffering since his retirement 15 years ago surviving on a pension that has never been adjusted to match the current high cost of living.
