CJ Koome urges Magistrates and Kadhis Courts to be innovative

WEDNESDAY, February 1, 2023.  CJ Koome urges Magistrates and Kadhis Courts to be innovativennCourts must innovate in the quest to expand the doorways of justice, especially for the vulnerable in society, Chief Justice Martha Koome has emphasised.nnSpeaking in Naivasha at the opening of the first Magistrates and Kadhis Colloquium since 2018 due to the COVID 19 pandemic, CJ Koome said everyone wants and deserves to do and receive justice.nnThe CJ acknowledged that Magistrates and Kadhis Courts are the actual doorways of justice in Kenya.nn“I recognise that Magistrate and Kadhi Courts are the actual ‘doorways’ of justice, with 85 per cent of the Judiciary’s case load and interaction for most litigants with the justice system taking place in these courts,” CJ said.nnShe said the Judiciary is focused on removing formal, informal and systemic barriers to access to justice adding that the goal of widening access to justice will only be attained when we have in place an efficient, cost-effective, accessible, expeditious, and fair system of delivery of justice.nnShe said priority areas under the Social Transformation through Access to Justice (STAJ) vision of the Judiciary include clearing case backlog, improving access to justice by increasing the avenues for accessing justice.nnThe Judiciary is focussing on enhancing public confidence in the justice system by strengthening its internal and external complaints mechanisms and improving co-ordination and synergy of actors within the justice sector.nnShe explained that the colloquium was split into two phases to minimise disruptions and ensure that court stations across the country continue executing their mandate. All cases that will be rescheduled will be re-listed on a priority basis.nnThe forum provides a platform to share experiences from various court stations and tackle emerging challenges.nn nnnn nn