CJ Koome urges the Executive and Parliament to enhance Judiciary budgetary allocation for optimal service delivery
NEWS RELEASE
NAIROBI. Friday, May 16, 2025. CJ Koome urges the Executive and Parliament to enhance Judiciary budgetary allocation for optimal service delivery
Chief Justice Martha Koome has urged the Executive and Parliament, to enhance Judiciary’s budgetary allocation to enable optimal delivery of its mandate and serve the public.
Speaking during the launch of the E-Judiciary Mobile Application, the Judiciary Innovations Compendium, and the Performance Management and Measurement Evaluation (PMMU) Report 2023–2024, the CJ said several courts continued to operate under serious constraints—including shortages of judges and judicial officers, heavy caseloads, inadequate infrastructure, and significant gaps in human and financial resources.
“As many of you are aware, the Judiciary has consistently raised concerns regarding underfunding and recurrent budget cuts that have hindered the full implementation of our core programmes,” the Justice Koome said
CJ Koome revealed that during the 2023/2024 evaluation cycle, the Judiciary established five new High Court stations, added three new Divisions of the Employment and Labour Relations Court and opened three new Environment and Land Court stations, three new Magistrates’ Courts and 28 Small Claims Courts, a move that brought justice closer to the people, aligning with the STAJ goal of decentralizing access to the courts.
She added that to expedite justice delivery and address backlogs, the Judiciary scaled up the “Mahakama Popote” initiative— an innovative virtual court system that enables judicial officers in less-burdened courts to support colleagues in busier stations remotely, and continued to promote Court-Annexed Mediation (CAM) and Alternative Justice Systems (AJS) reforms, leading to reduction of case backlog from 268,116 to 244,267.
“As we look ahead, we will continue to review, refine, and improve all our service delivery points to ensure that the Judiciary remains dynamic, inclusive, and responsive to the evolving needs of our users and stakeholders,” CJ Koome said.
The CJ said the reports and the Judiciary Mobile Application launched are a clear reflection of the Judiciary’s commitment to continuous improvement in service delivery, and promotion of transparency, accountability, and innovation in Judiciary’s work.
“They reaffirm our resolve to live out our constitutional mandate and the values of equity, integrity, efficiency, and access to justice as championed under our institutional blueprint of ‘Social Transformation through Access to Justice’ (STAJ).”
Justice Koome explained that the E-Judiciary Mobile Application marks a bold step forward—bringing court services to the fingertips of every Kenyan with a smartphone while the Innovation Compendium showcases how courts across the country have adopted creative solutions to improve service delivery.
She called on all actors in the justice sector to embrace the digitization and automation agenda saying the strength of the justice system is only as strong as its weakest link.
She explained that the PMMU Report 2023–2024 which is a result of rigorous data collection and analysis across 337 courts and administrative units, offers a transparent and evidence-based view of performance across all levels of the Judiciary while presenting a comprehensive snapshot of where the Judiciary is as an institution and where it needs to go to enhance the delivery of justice.
Commissioner Justice Antony Mrima who was representing the Chairperson of the Committee on Administration of Justice at the JSC said the Commission is committed to ensuring that PMMU remains both scientific and objective.
The Commissioner said the performance tool is being reviewed and refined to enhance its credibility by integrating evidence-based methodologies, rigorous data analytics, and standardised performance indicators across all levels of judicial functions, to foster transparency, equity, and continuous improvement across the Judiciary.
Chair of the Administration of Justice and Performance Management Committee (AJPMC) Justice Agnes Murgor said the launch of the 9th cycle of the PMMU Evaluation Report reaffirms our steadfast commitment to institutional accountability and performance excellence. This is not just a presentation of data—it is a moment to reflect on our collective achievements, confront our challenges with integrity, and renew our shared commitment to deliver justice with dignity and fairness.
“We also celebrate the official launch of the E-Judiciary Mobile Application—a transformative leap toward enhancing access to justice through digital innovation. It represents a bold step toward a Judiciary that is not only digital, but also inclusive and citizen-centered,” Justice Murgor added.
Speaking at the launch, Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Winfridah Mokaya observed that the PMMU framework continues to serve as a critical tool for strengthening institutional accountability, driving performance, and informing strategic decision-making.
She added that the Mobile Application is a powerful innovation that redefines how we deliver justice in the digital age.
“With this App, court users across the country can now access real-time case updates, court calendars, judgments and rulings, and a wide array of judicial services—right from their mobile phones.”
She added that the challenges such as inadequate and irregular funding to the Judiciary, severe shortage of Judges, Judicial Officers, and judicial staff, and low uptake of pro bono matters, speak to a deeper national imperative: the need to fund justice as a country.
“Funding justice is not optional—it is foundational. When justice is underfunded, the rule of law weakens, backlogs grow, and public confidence deteriorates.”
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