What you need to know:
- Rose Wachuka, is a woman of many firsts. The 36-year-old rose from a humble background and is now the Chief of Staff to Kenya’s Chief Justice Martha Koome
Rose Wachuka is living her childhood dream. Growing up, her grandfather told her that there are two things that can impoverish you— a court case, and two, an illness.
“Having witnessed people go to court for ages and sometimes even die before justice is served made me know I really wanted to advocate for social justice,” says the 36-year-old who describes herself as a simple but hearty person.
Rose is Kenya’s first female and youngest Chief of Staff to serve in the Office of the Chief Justice. Born in Nyandarua County where she spent the first 10 years of her life, she says she associates a lot of her personality and character today, with that formative period. The family moved to Nyeri County, where she completed her primary and secondary education before she enrolled for a Law degree at Moi University.
In 2011 Rose was admitted as an advocate of the High Court.
At Waweru Gatonye law firm, Rose, the only girl in a family of five siblings, says she learnt a lot as a pupil.
“We handled very high profile cases like I remember challenging the appointment of the Director General of National Intelligence Service (NIS) at the time. We also handled the Delarue case among others,” she says.
Still, she was not at peace. “I felt that I was defending individuals- the clients instead of defending the constitution because, you know, when you defend a particular person, you have to tailor your case to their interests. Much as I loved what I was doing, I wanted to be in a position where I’d be impartial to the constitution,” Rose recounts.
Soon after, the judiciary advertised for legal researcher positions. “I applied and was lucky enough to be ranked among the top seven who were sent to the Supreme Court. We were the first cohort,” says Rose, who joined the Judiciary in 2012.
Read More @ Nation Africa – Kenya first Female Chief of Staff to the Chief Justice