•With this diverse background, I am confident that my office will ably support and facilitate the Judiciary leadership, Judges, Judicial Officers and Staff in the discharge of their mandate.
Image: JUDICIARY
My journey to the role I have assumed has been long and windy, and has taken me to various corners of the country where I served as a Magistrate before my posting to the JSC as the Registrar.
Having been a judicial officer working in the regions and in the administration where I have spent the past thirteen years, I have been at the forefront of the administration of justice and understood the aspirations and expectations of the Kenyan people on the Judiciary.
I assume this office cognizant of my 14 years in the Magistracy that gives me a strategic view, practical socialization and a deep understanding of the working environment. I fully identify myself with the critical role Judges and Magistrates play day-in day-out in execution of the Judiciary’s mandate.
With this diverse background, I am confident that my office will ably support and facilitate the Judiciary leadership, Judges, Judicial Officers and Staff in the discharge of their mandate.
I am excited to take this role at this moment in the history of the Judiciary, a few months after the Chief Justice launched the Social Transformation through Access to Justice Blueprint that defines our institutional goals over the next decade.
I have seen first-hand the ease with which the administrative arm of the Judiciary can perform its role when the leadership has defined a clear vision for the institution. Chief Justice Emeritus Dr Willy Mutunga set us on this path when he promulgated the Judiciary Transformation Framework that laid the foundations that were necessary to ensure the Judiciary met the high expectations of the people, while CJ Emeritus David Maraga followed suit with the Sustaining Judiciary Transformation Blueprint.
The Road Ahead is now clearly laid out in the STAJ Vision launched in 2021 and the Blueprint launched in November last year, by Chief Justice Lady Martha Koome. These are the giants of Judiciary transformation upon whose shoulders we stand today and make a commitment to serve this institution and the people of Kenya.
I am eager to support the Chief Justice, Judges, Judicial Officers and Staff who all have a role to play in the implementation of the Blueprint and the realization of the goals therein, for the ultimate benefit of our country.
There is a lot to be done, but I would like to start with: a. cascading the blueprint throughout the institution to cultivate deeper understanding and ownership of the vision and blueprint across the entire Judiciary, pushing for law reform to address the emerging gaps in the administration of the Judiciary Fund and engagement with stakeholders on the funding of access to justice as a public good which is as important as security and which requires 100% GoK funding. In absolute and comparative terms, the 100% funding the Judiciary is seeking is reasonable.
In this regard, we need to make a better case for our budget allocation by shifting the case away from aggregate percentages to more modern and innovative methods that first consider unit costs such as cost per Judge or cost per case and then elevate the budget case to formal and universal justice needs in line with the STAJ vision.
As I settle into office over the coming weeks, my office will embrace a clear deliberate and robust open – door policy in engaging with our internal and external stakeholders including members of our Judiciary family such as Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association, Kenya Judges Welfare Association, Kenya Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges, and Kenya Judiciary Staff Association.
I welcome you all for conversations and ideas on how the administration of the Judiciary can better support the execution of the core mandate of the Judiciary and the implementation of the STAJ Blueprint.
I particularly welcome other players and agencies in the administration of justice and external partners who have been part of our transformative journey over the past fourteen years. I would like to thank you for the past support to the Judiciary administration, and I hope I can continue to count on you as we move forward on the road ahead and my calling to deliver
I look forward to your support in ensuring that we live the ideals of the Constitution in the discharge of the Judiciary’s mandate to the Kenyan people.
Winfridah Mokaya Is the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary.