Judiciary making progress, can account for its work – CJ

 

Chief Justice Martha Koome 

Chief Justice Martha Koome says the Judiciary has passed its accountability test based on the milestones it has achieved over the last couple of years.

She said members of the judiciary deserve commendation for the efforts they have put in to ensure they deliver on their constitutional mandate to those who seek the services of the courts and the people of Kenya in general.

“We as the Judiciary, pride ourselves in promoting accountability and transparency, clearly aware that we are able to account to “Wanjiku” for the work of the courts and all our judges, judicial officers, and staff in the various stations across the country,” the Chief Justice said during the launch of Judiciary’s Performance Management & Measurement Understandings (PMMUs) Evaluation Report 2022/2023

According to the CJ, the Judiciary is on an upward trajectory in terms of performance, and this was a clear indication of the increasing quality of service delivery to the public.

“It reflects the dedication and hard work of our Judges, judicial officers, and staff who are working tirelessly and are committed to upholding the rule of law and ensuring access to justice for all Kenyans,” she said

Koome remarked that the Performance Management & Measurement Understandings enables the Judiciary to showcase its scorecard on several measures of court excellence recognized internationally, indicating performance levels in justice delivery.

“This is in line with the Constitution of Kenya under Article 159, which demands that justice be served to all regardless of status and that it shall not be delayed,” she said

She also made a case for a review of the Judiciary’s performance management system tools and metrics in order to incorporate indicators that are directly linked to tracking people-centered justice deliverables.

She gave an example of indicators monitoring access to justice for vulnerable and marginalized groups, as well as those monitoring environmental concerns to go paperless, which she said should now be included in the PMMUs.

The Chairperson of the Administration of Justice and Performance Management Committee (AJPMC) Justice Agnes Murgor concurred with the Chief Justice.

“I am pleased to report that with the heightened use of technology through virtual courts, and stringent monitoring of our caseloads, and case backlogs, the period 2022/23 has yielded significant achievements and milestones,” she said

Murgor stated that the Kenyan courts have demonstrated commendable performance on key performance indicators which has led to enhanced access to justice in the timely resolution of cases.

By Eric Biegon