• Koome said the Judiciary and courts will have to undergo a radical change, which includes extending the time they are open.
• "If we get adequate support, we think of having night shift operations. With some adjudicators starting from 5pm in Nairobi and Mombasa," she said.
Chief Justice Martha Koome has proposed the introduction of night shifts in courts to reduce the backlog of cases.
Koome said the Judiciary and courts will have to undergo a radical change, which includes extending the time they are open.
"If we get adequate support, we think of having night shift operations. With some adjudicators starting from 5pm in Nairobi and Mombasa," she said.
The CJ spoke at the Supreme Court on Friday during the official launch of the State of the Judiciary and Administration of Justice Annual Report.
She further lauded the establishment of 11 small claims courts and the appointment of 25 adjudicators to handle these courts.
Koome said 9,315 cases have been resolved by these courts so far, thereby releasing Sh1.4 billion to the economy.
She said she looks forward to opening more small claims courts in low-income areas to reduce the distance litigants travel to access services, especially in the cities.
The CJ further lauded the state for increased budgetary allocation, which has enabled them to work on the appointment of justices and the digitisation agenda at the Judiciary.
She also commended the government for embracing deepening access of justice through the bottom-up agenda.
"Currently pursuing a vision that aims to remove all barriers that have hindered access to justice for all. It's a challenge we can't summon on our own. I call on all players (all arms of government) to come together and make this vision a reality," Koome said.
Looking into the report, she said in the 2021-2022 financial year, some 404,000 cases were filed, out of which 257,000 were criminal and 147,000 were civil.
Of the cases, 42 per cent came from five counties.
"These courts recorded 380,000 cases being resolved. A clearance of 94 per cent," Koome said.
The CJ said in the year under review, 11 environment and lands courts and six High Court stations were also established.
Also, two Supreme Court sub-registries and three High Court sub-registries were established.
"These ensured easy geographical reach by our litigants," Koome said.
On special GBV courts, the CJ is hopeful that the judiciary will scale up the role out throughout the country.
Within the period stated, the judiciary has also managed to decentralise the political parties tribunal, which received and concluded 198 matters during this years election.
The decentralising according to Koome had a significant impact on handling the matters filed during the election cycles.
"It did away with litigants travelling miles as was seen during the 2017 cycle," she said.
Koome further said the virtual courts have been an enabler in the efficiency of service delivery.
The judiciary has deployed 15 units of video conferencing solution system, which helps in cases where parties are abroad.
This means that parties don't have to come to Kenya to testify.
However, Koome said the judiciary needs 348 judges, 120 magistrates and kadhis, 650 law clerks and legal researchers to support the work of judges and 7,219 judicial staff.
"We need the continued support of the executive and parliament to aid with the HR constraints as seen in the Judiciary," she said.