In her wisdom, the Chief Justice has given us this warning to make sure that we are conducting ourselves with integrity and smarts so as not only shape but also improve our judicial system.
Speaking during the swearing in of resident magistrates on Tuesday at the Kenya Judiciary Academy, CJ Koome announced that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) was set to embark on ensuring it meets its vision of the ‘Social Transformation through Access to Justice’ by reshaping its operations.
In the said mandate, CJ Koome called on the newly graduated magistrates to enhance their judicial performance to ensure that the problem of the log of cases is eliminated from the Judiciary.
“We, therefore, expect you to be the most engaged participants in our quest to eliminate backlog and delays in the delivery of justice, which is the most common complaint we get from Kenyans,” CJ Koome stated.
“You must work to meet our target of ensuring that no case remains unresolved in a Trial Court for more than three years.”
Koome referred to magistrates’ courts being assumed by the graduates as the ‘face of the justice system’ which she said is due to the fact that they handle most of the cases affecting the general public and thus shape the perception of the Judiciary at the grassroots.
She explained that it was also at this level that they would acquire limitless judicial experience and a direct interaction with the general public.
“It is at the Magistrates’ Court that the bulk of the cases that come to the justice system are first heard and resolved. It is also the Court where you will often find the highest numbers of unrepresented, marginalized, and indigent litigants,” Koome noted.
