Kisumu Resident Magistrate Beryl Omollo was on Saturday awarded by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) with the Distinguished Service Award.
Six-month-old infant Samantha Pendo who died in Kisumu due to police brutality in Kisumu suffered severe injuries to the head. This was during the 2017 post election violence.
A post-mortem revealed that she suffered an open cracked scalp with deep head injuries in the attack.
Ms Omollo, for her judgement over the controversial case was feted by LSK because she makes a deliberate choice to dispense justice.
“For various matters placed before her, she always undertakes to make the deliberate and conscientious choice to ensure that justice is more accessible to the citizenry and that every litigant is given a fair hearing such that no one is driven out of the seat of justice,” the LSK Citation said.
“Respective commanders failed to take the necessary and reasonable measures to prevent the criminal act of killing the baby. The superiors should incur liability for the subordinates’ unlawful conduct by failing to take action to redress the situation,” she is quoted as ruling in the Pendo case.
Besides the University of Nairobi graduate’s award, LSK also feted other legal practitioners for exemplary work.
These are Ms. Lucy Muthoni Kambuni, SC- Roll of Honour, and Ms. Fatuma Abdulkadir Adan- Father Kaiser Human Rights Award.