CJ Koome launches Performance Evaluation Report 2022/23

Chief Justice Martha Koome has launched the Performance Management and Measurement Understandings Evaluation Report 2022/2023.

The performance management is in its eighth cycle of implementation and has grown in leaps and bounds with over 319 units comprising courts, offices of registrars, directorates, and other administrative offices.

These offices annually sign performance targets, which are assessed to determine the achievements realised.

Through this process, Koome said the Judiciary, prides itself in promoting accountability and transparency.

This, they do, all the while being aware that they can account to "Wanjiku" for the work of the courts and all the judges, judicial officers and staff in the various stations across the country.

Koome said the performance management system is now being under-studied by various institutions within the country and other Judiciaries worldwide.

"In the last couple of years, we have hosted teams coming to learn from us about the successes and best practices of performance management implementation in measuring judicial work," she said.

"One of the most gratifying trends observed in this year's evaluation is the steady rise in the average performance scores of Courts, Directorates, and Units, indicating a general improvement in performance across the Judiciary. "

The overall performance of the Judiciary significantly improved from 93.71 per cent in 2021/2022 to 97.26 per cent in the 2022/2023 financial year.

The Chief Justice noted that there were notable improvements recorded in several indicators such as Case Clearance Rate, which improved from 94 per cent recorded in 2021/2022 to 99 per cent; Case Backlog Reduction of 19 per cent from 337,676 cases to 276,678 cases, while the STAJ indicator of cases above 3 years recorded a reduction of 13 per cent from 132,798 cases to 115,582 cases.

Similarly, the performance of most courts and administrative units improved in the year under review, with significant achievements noted in the Court of Appeal, which moved from 86.82 per cent in 2021/2022 to 94.79 per cent in 2022/2023.

The Employment and Labour Relations Court, which moved from 92.54 per cent to 100 per cent; and the Magistrates' Court, which moved from 91.37 per cent to 97.67 per cent.

"As we celebrate the eighth cycle of performance evaluation in the Judiciary, our performance management system tools and metrics must be reviewed in the spirit of continuous improvement to align with the principles of STAJ," Koome said.

This, she said, includes incorporating indicators that are directly linked to tracking people-centred justice deliverables.

"For example, indicators monitoring access to justice for the vulnerable and marginalized groups, as well as those monitoring our environmental concerns to go paperless, should now be included in the PMMUs," CJ Koome added.