Chief Justice Martha Koome has gazetted the appointment of more than 200 magistrates across the country to preside over specialised cases.
This involves corruption, economic crimes, environmental and land disputes, as well as employment and labour relations.
The appointments, contained in a Gazette Notices dated October 10 and 19, 2025, are part of ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening judicial efficiency and expediting the resolution of specialized matters across Kenya’s subordinate courts.
In one of the notices, six magistrates were appointed to handle anti-corruption and economic crimes cases.
These are Maureen Iberia, Victoria Achieng Ochanda, Janette Wandia Nyamu, Wilson Kipchumba Kitur, Christabel Irene Agutu and Japheth Cheruiyot Bii.
They will preside over such matters within the jurisdiction of their current court stations and any future deployments.
In a separate appointment, the Chief Justice designated 58 magistrates to hear environment and land-related disputes.
These include Kemei Silas Kandie, Akida Kassim, Elizabeth Khanali, Mwera Atamba Lynn, Ng’ang’a Catherine Wanjiru, and several others.
The move aims to ease the backlog of land cases in the Environment and Land Courts, where disputes over ownership, boundaries, and land use have remained among the country's most litigated issues.
In what is the largest appointment of the three, the CJ listed 144 magistrates who will handle employment and labour relations matters.
These are particularly disputes involving contracts of employment where the employee’s gross monthly pay does not exceed Sh 80,000.
They will also preside over offences arising under key labour laws, including the Employment Act (2007), Work Injury Benefits Act (2007), Labour Institutions Act (2007), Occupational Safety and Health Act (2007) and Labour Relations Act (2007).
CJ Koome noted that the appointments were made in accordance with relevant provisions of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act (2003), the Environment and Land Court Act (2011), and the Employment and Labour Relations Court Act (2011).
The Chief Justice emphasized that the designation of specialised magistrates is meant to enhance judicial access, streamline case management, and ensure that cases are handled by judicial officers with appropriate expertise.
The Judiciary has, in recent years, expanded the number of specialised courts to improve service delivery, reduce case backlogs, and promote faster resolution of disputes.
The new appointments are expected to bolster that effort by decentralizing access to justice beyond the High Court and bringing specialized services closer to the public.
The announcement comes amid growing demand for specialised handling of corruption, land, and labour matters, which often involve technical or sector-specific issues requiring consistency in judicial interpretation.
By expanding the pool of magistrates trained and designated to manage these cases, the Judiciary aims to uphold the constitutional principles of access to justice, efficiency, and accountability.
