Chief Justice Martha Koome endorsed President William Ruto’s bottom-up economic model.

Koome’s public endorsement happened when she was officially opening a Small Claims Court at Meru Law Courts in Meru County on Monday.

The CJ said Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSEMs) are the country’s economic engine and should be supported.


“This is the engine of our economy; the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, and therefore we must support it. I dare say this is our government policy now; the bottom-up approach. For us to succeed we must look at the vulnerable. We have to empower them,” Koome said.

Koome said the establishment of the court creates an enabling environment for SME’s to thrive as it reduces the cost and time to enforce commercial disputes.

“The establishment of the court was part of a wider initiative to enhance the ease of doing business, by creating an enabling environment for Small and Medium Enterprises to thrive by reducing the cost and time for enforcement of commercial disputes,” she said.

The first SCC was established in the FY 2021/2022 and Meru County is the 13th county in which the court was established.

The SCC has heard and determined over 14,000 cases valued in excess of Sh3 billion.

Operationalisation of the SCC was designed to contribute towards achieving equality, poverty reduction and social inclusion by ensuring that all have equal access to fair and timely justice.