The Judiciary has delivered 7,000 judgments since it scaled down its operations in March due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Chief Justice David Maraga said this when he received a donation of laptops from the EU/UNODC in Nairobi on Wednesday.
Maraga said even though they had faced several challenges in the use of technology to deliver justice, they had achieved a lot too.
He encouraged Kenyans to embrace technology in the justice sector even after the pandemic as it has revolutionised the system.
“I call upon all of us in the justice sector, including members of the public, to seize this moment and turn it into an opportunity to revolutionise our sector through technology,” he said.
He said while the Court of Appeal is currently hearing matters, the shortage of equipment like laptops in prison facilities where convicts and remandees are held had slowed down delivery of justice.
Maraga said some of the laptops had been taken to the Prison Department to help with the criminal appeals so inmates can attend hearings via online platforms.
Maraga noted that before the laptops the Court of Appeal criminal hearings had a shortage which had slowed down the delivery of justice.
“I note that the Prisons Service has received the bulk of the computers donated today and this will help facilitate the hearing of criminal appeals,” he said.
Maraga said it may take a while to reach a critical level of operations but with determination, they will enhance services using technological platforms available.
Judiciary scaled down court operations in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19 and moved to use online platforms to file and hear cases.
Maraga said scaling down operations was an important step that they took in order to curb the spread of the virus.
“There is no doubt that the crisis has provided an opportunity for us in the justice sector to reflect on how to address the current gaps related to technology in the enhancement of justice,” he said.
Edited by Henry Makori
