The Judicial Service Commission plans to hire 500 officers in the next three years in efforts to reduce a backlog of more than 373,000 cases.
Chief registrar Anne Amadi said 200 will be recruited this year, another 200 next year and the last 100 by 2023.
“To enhance service delivery in the Judiciary, the commission intends to recruit judges, magistrates and staff to clear staffing shortfalls,” she said.
In a presentation on the 2020 Budget Policy Statement to the National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, Amadi noted that 50 judges were recruited in the 2019-2020 financial year but 41 are still waiting for gazettement.
In 2018-19, 101 judicial staffers were recruited and deployed to serve in various stations to strengthen the human resource capacity of the Judiciary.
Plans to recruit more staff may be hampered by lack of funds after it emerged that its budgetary allocation in the next financial year might be half the amount it seeks.
JSC proposed an allocation of Sh37.4 billion for the next financial year but the Budget Policy Statement allocated Sh17.4 billion.
Of the proposal, Sh30.6 billion was to go to recurrent expenditure while Sh6.7 billion would be allocated for development.
The High Court recently faulted President Uhuru Kenyatta for delaying to appoint 41 judges who were set for promotion.
A three-judge bench comprising Justices Lydia Achode, James Makau and Enoch Chacha Mwita ruled that the President has no mandate to review, reconsider or decline to appoint those recommended for promotion by the Judicial Service Commission.
The Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association Union has urged Uhuru to appoint the 41 judges.
The association claimed about 400,000 cases are being filed per year against a diminishing number of judges and magistrates.
The backlogged cases are being handled by 644 judges and magistrates combined.
