WEDNESDAY, February 1, 2023. CJ Koome urges Magistrates and Kadhis Courts to be innovative
Courts must innovate in the quest to expand the doorways of justice, especially for the vulnerable in society, Chief Justice Martha Koome has emphasised.
Speaking 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.
The CJ acknowledged that Magistrates and Kadhis Courts are the actual doorways of justice in Kenya.
“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.
She 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.
She 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.
The 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.
She 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.
The forum provides a platform to share experiences from various court stations and tackle emerging challenges.
