Driving Excellence in the High Court through Key Performance Indicators – KPIs, Timelines and Performance Expectations under STAJ–PMMU
Presenting on ‘Driving Excellence in the High Court through Key Performance Indicators – KPIs, Timelines and Performance Expectations under STAJ–PMMU’ Director, Directorate of Strategy Planning and Organizational Productivity (DSPOP) Dr. Joseph Osewe, told delegates that the High Court plays a pivotal role in the Judiciary’s transformation agenda, especially under the Social Transformation through Access to Justice (STAJ) blueprint, which emphasizes timely, fair, and predictable justice delivery.
Rising public expectations and the need for accountability have made performance management more urgent than ever. The Performance Management and Measurement Understandings (PMMU) provides the framework through which the High Court aligns its operations with STAJ outcomes. The session sought to deepen understanding of the High Court’s KPIs, applicable timelines, and expected performance standards. It also examined bottlenecks affecting timeliness, quality, and certainty, while outlining a practical roadmap for improved accountability. Dr Osewe said the High Court’s strategic mandate is grounded in STAJ’s pillars: access to justice, efficiency, and institutional transparency. PMMU operationalizes these commitments through structured target setting, KPI tracking, station-level accountability, and evidence-based decision-making. Key KPIs presented include timely determination of applications and cases.
Urgent applications must be concluded within 60 days, injunctions within 90 days, and other applications within 180 days. Case categories—including constitutional petitions, judicial reviews, appeals, and criminal and civil matters—carry timelines ranging from 180 to 360 days. Additional indicators include timely judgment dissemination, remand management, file integrity, and trial and delivery date certainty. Other critical performance measures include case clearance rates, backlog reduction, court productivity, and supervision of subordinate courts.
The High Court continues to face challenges such as record movement delays, adjournments, data inconsistencies, Case Tracking System (CTS) limitations, and resource gaps. To improve performance, the proposed roadmap prioritizes timeliness through optimized cause lists and strict adjournment controls; strengthened quality through regular file audits; enhanced accountability via periodic performance reviews; and better tracking using automated reminders. Dr. Osewe emphasized that collective leadership is essential to delivering justice that is timely, predictable, and trust-building, positioning the High Court as a key driver of Kenya’s justice transformation.
