The Judiciary has recorded an upward trajectory in its performance in fast-tracking hearing and determination of cases.
This indicates its commitment to efficient delivery of quality court services to the people of Kenya.
Chief Justice Martha Koome on Friday revealed that 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.
Koome spoke while unveiling the Performance Management and Measurement Understandings Evaluation Report (PMMU) 2022/2023 at Milimani Law Courts.
The CJ said the improvement reflects the dedication and hard work by Judges, judicial officers, and staff in upholding the rule of law and ensuring access to justice for all Kenyans.
Justice Koome promised that the Judiciary would strive to continue improving its service delivery to ensure that public confidence in the institution is sustained.
She noted that cases above three years recorded a reduction of 13 per cent.
Koome added that there were improvements recorded in a number of 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 percent.
"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 percent in 2021/2022 to 94.79 percent in 2022/2023; the Employment and Labour Relations Court, which moved from 92.54 percent to 100 percent; and the Magistrates' Court, which moved from 91.37 percent to 97.67 percent," she said.
The CJ said the Judiciary had taken deliberate steps to enhance access to justice, which include opening more courts to enhance access to justice.
The Judiciary also established High Court stations in 46 out of 47 counties, operationalised 138 Magistrate courts in the country, increased mobile and circuit courts, established 38 Small Claims Courts, and 12 Gender Justice Courts, and leveraged ICT to enhance efficiency encompassing virtual courts, e-filing, case tracking, and transcription services.
"The right of the people to access timely court services across the country is not an option but a prerogative that we are committed to achieving," the Cj said.
"The launch of this report underscores our commitment to excellence and our unwavering dedication to serving the people of Kenya."
Koome underscored the need to celebrate the achievements even in the face of various challenges such as resource constraints and inadequate Judges and Judicial officers to keep up with the cases filed in our courts.
She called on the National Treasury and Parliament to allocate the Judiciary more resources to enable it enhance access to justice and ensure that matters brought to court are dealt with within reasonable time frames.
"Courts should not be parking lots for keeping cases but rather a conduit for the timely resolution of matters," Koome said.
The Chairperson Administration of Justice and Performance Management Committee Justice Agnes Murgor noted that the heightened use of technology through virtual courts, and stringent monitoring of caseloads, and case backlog had yielded significant achievements and milestones.
"Our courts have demonstrated commendable performance on key performance indicators which has led to enhanced access to justice in the timely resolution of cases," Justice Murgor said.
"Moreover, initiatives aimed at judicial capacity-building, and the fostering of stakeholder engagement, have translated our pursuit towards judicial excellence into a reality."
The Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Winfridah Mokaya said the Judiciary’s obligation to establish courts in all counties and Subcounties across the republic necessitates demand for increased resources.
The CRJ also noted that there must be more accountability for better services to ensure there is value for money.
"Justice is a basic need and the soul of a nation and should therefore be funded as a priority by the government," she said.
"The Judiciary plays a fundamental role in maintaining the rule of law within the country, and any underfunding of this critical arm of government will greatly undermine the rule of law, peace, stability, and economic prosperity of the nation."