The Chief Justice Martha Koome has again raised her voice on the need to add more judges at the Court of Appeal to reduce the case backlog.

Koome has expressed her dissatisfaction on the shortage of staff saying the Court of Appeal listens to more than 2500 cases in a year.

The CJ has appealed to the President to sware- in more Judges to improve service delivery at the Judiciary.

 “It is absolutely necessary to build the capacity of this court by increasing the number of Judges. Despite the shortage of staff, the court has been able to achieve a 50% clearance rate,” said Koome.

Koome made the remarks during a performance review workshop for The Court of appeal judges at The Serena Beach Hotel in Mombasa.

Read More

  1. Tuju pains as court clears way for auction of Karen property over Sh4.5 billion debt
  2. Court overturns John Waluke’s 67-year jail Term in Sh313 million maize scandal
  3. Supreme Court to decide fate of Finance Act 2023 after hearing appeal by Govt

On his part, the President of the Court of Appeal Justice Daniel Musinga echoed the sentiments of the CJ saying that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) must be given enough funds to ensure that the constitutional requirements for the number of Judges in the court of Appeal is archived.

“In the court of Appeal we have only 20 Judges contrary to the constitutionally required 30 Judges, we plead with the JSC to ensure that we increase our capacity to handle the 8000 cases in the system,” added Musinga.

Koome applauded the efforts done by the Court of Appeal to conduct an overhaul in order to understand where the problems they face are and to work towards improving their services.

Koome reminded the Judge's that the people of Kenya are the ones that give the judiciary its mandate to ensure justice is served.

The Court of Appeal has been using new systems to improve the administration of justice during the pandemic including electronic filing and secure virtual hearings.

Koome said there is a need to modernize the infrastructure of the judiciary so as to be at par with the current demand and standards of the people of Kenya.

“The Supreme Court building, where the Court of Appeal is located was built in 1935 and was meant for 7 Judges. It has been stretched beyond its capacity and requires renovation,” added Koome.

She assured Judges that plans are underway to build new facilities and advance in modern technology for them to deliver their services to the people.