Martha Karua Reflects on Becoming a Magistrate at 24

While celebrating her 69th birthday, former Justice Minister Martha Karua has shared a personal reflection on her formative years, offering a rare glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of her twenties.

In a social media post, Karua noted that September has always held special significance for her. “It is my birth month, and it gives me a reason to appreciate the road that brought me here,” she wrote, adding that she wanted to take followers through “a few decades” of her life.

Karua recalled being appointed as a magistrate at just 24 years old, a milestone she described as “a responsibility and a title that felt significant at that age, even as I was still figuring out life beyond the courtroom.”

By her late twenties, she had risen to the position of Senior Resident Magistrate while simultaneously raising a young family as a single mother. She credited her sister and family for their support during that period. “Looking back, I wonder how that young woman managed to hold it all together while fighting against a dictatorship and remaining hopeful about the future I saw for myself, my country and family,” she wrote.

Karua’s reflection comes as she continues to be recognised as one of Kenya’s most prominent legal and political figures. Her memoir, Against the Tide, chronicles her journey from her childhood in Kimunye village, Kirinyaga County, to her career as a magistrate, human rights lawyer, and later a Member of Parliament, minister, and presidential candidate.

She also offered words of encouragement to young people navigating their own paths. “To those in your twenties, I hope you give yourself grace. You may not have all the answers, and you may not always know where the road is taking you but keep pushing against the tides that stand in your way,” she wrote. “Trust that the life you are building will take shape, one step at a time.”

She concluded with a message of hope: “And perhaps, one day, you will look back and realise that you were stronger, braver and further along than you thought. Here’s to the girl I was, and to all the young people still becoming.”