Appellate Judges meet in Mombasa

 nnWEDNESDAY, April 11, 2018. Appellate Judges meet in MombasannCourt of Appeal judges are meeting in Mombasa to deliberate on the vision of the court with a view to improving service delivery.nnThe three-day retreat themed: ‘Vision of the Court’ will discuss digitization of the Court, judicial ethics, court management and mediation as well as emerging and conflicting jurisprudence in labour related issues.nnThe judges from Nairobi, Malindi, Nyeri and Kisumu will also among other issues focus on management of Electoral Disputes Resolution appeals process and strategies of clearing case backlog in the court.nnSpeaking at the conference, newly elected President of the Court of Appeal Justice William Ouko identified improving court operations, building a robust and more harmonious jurisprudence and enhancing stakeholder engagement and participation as some of the priority areas that the court will pay attention to in  improving court efficiency. This he said is important to realize the courts vision of achieving a fair, consistent, expeditious, professional and efficient Court of Appeal.nn“I am glad that this retreat will receive the statistics and discuss in detail the strategies and mechanisms to address the current backlog which stands at over 1,607 cases,” Judge Ouko said.nnHe added, “At any rate, strict implementation of existing Case Management and Practice Directions and the adoption of the policy of first-in first out, will ensure the orderly disposal of cases.”nnHe said that through the systematic implementation of IT systems, the court will create an e-Court in every court station and paperless registries to enable litigants and Counsel to file and submit documents on-line.nnJudge Ouko added that the system will enhance court operations including record and document management system, case allocation and tracking system, and recording and transcription of court proceedings.nnHe said building a strong stakeholder engagement is vital to ensuring an efficient administration of justice, as feedback from them, helps in planning, identifying areas for improvement.nnEnds/…nn