• Koome spoke during an inaugural meeting for the National Council on the Administration of Justice and heads of key state actors in the justice chain. S
• The meeting agreed to focus on delivering justice under the vision of social justice, hence wananchi should be empowered to be part of the solution so that they can use, for instance, mediation to reduce case backlog.
Image: CHARLENE MALWA
The Judiciary will establish a desk at Huduma Centre in Nairobi for citizens to file cases, Chief Justice Martha Koome has said.
She said on Friday the move will fast-track the filing of cases. The Judicature has partnered with the Ministry of ICT.
Koome spoke during an inaugural meeting for the National Council on the Administration of Justice and heads of key state actors in the justice chain. She said they will work with other agencies to serve justice efficiently.
She cautioned against the adjournment of cases due to lost files or the absence of a magistrate.
"The issue of cases being adjourned because of lost police files should not be encouraged. We must reduce the case backlog in our courts. We are reducing the number of years litigants stay in court," the CJ said.
She said their meeting agreed to focus on delivering justice under the vision of social justice, hence wananchi should be empowered to be part of the solution so that they can use, for instance, mediation to reduce case backlog.
She said seeks to ensure an enhancement of collaboration and cooperation in the activities of the justice agencies to power her transformative social justice vision.
The CJ questioned why a civil case of claim should take a year in court.
"We are building a society that is empowered to take charge and, as a judiciary, we have embraced technology... I'm happy to say... we successfully achieved it."
At the same event, the Executive pledged to support the Judiciary’s infrastructure requirements in efforts to ensure social transformation through access to justice.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i told the meeting that the government would share its facilities with the Judiciary to ensure timely delivery of justice and to expand the doorways of justice available for the public.
"It’s embarrassing that we are evicting the Judiciary Training Institute as though they are not part of the government," he said in reference to the planned ejection of the institute from government premises.
He said there is a need to ensure judicial officers are properly housed in government facilities that lie idle across the country.
“From today, let’s work together to ensure judges are properly housed. Houses don’t belong to the Executive arm of government,” Matiang’i said, committing to facilitate a government process to release houses in Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa for use by judges and other judicial officers.
Matiang’i told the National Council on the Administration of Justice that Kenya does not belong to the Executive, the Judiciary or the Legislature.
He acknowledged the need for inter-government agencies to seek out-of-court solutions, citing disagreements between counties and the national government.
He also urged the courts to make decisions on matters that are pending, especially where conservatory orders have been issued. He informed the meeting that the government has projects worth Sh186 billion tied up in cases before the courts.
“We are not seeking rulings in our favour, but at least make a decision,” he said, pointing out that this would save public resources.
He also pledged that the Executive would endeavour to obey court orders.
CS Matiang’i said his ministry fully supported the reinstatement of instant fines for traffic offenders, a position backed by Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai.
Mutyambai, who was also present, said the instant fines would be an instant game-changer and would reduce the case backlog in the courts. The meeting agreed to fast-track the use of instant fines for traffic offences.
On the fight against corruption, EACC chief executive Twalib Mbarak asked the CJ to decentralise anti-corruption registries to the regions. He also committed to pursuing economically high-impact corruption cases.
Attorney-General Kihara Kariuki asked the CJ to appoint a taskforce under the guidance of his office to formulate a bill to make the National Council on the Administration of Justice an independent institution.
Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji said his office is keen to conclude corruption cases. He said there were currently 141 high-profile cases pending before anti-corruption courts, with the oldest case pending for the past 14 years.
He called for a joint team to develop rapid results initiative for corruption cases. The meeting was also attended by Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti, ICT chief administrative secretary Maureen Mbaka, Deputy Commissioner General for Prisons Florence Omundi, Witness Protection Agency executive director Alice Ondieki and Probation and After Care director Mary Mbau, among other state officers.