CJ Koome to Ruto: Please keep promise on increased judiciary funding

Chief Justice Martha Koome has appealed to the national government to fulfil its promise to increase funding to the judiciary during the budget making process to end problems contributing to the backlog of cases.

She said the judiciary was grappling with a lack of enough courts, with some judicial officers being forced to work in shifts, which affected timely hearing and determination of matters.

Speaking at the Meru Law Court during the inauguration of a small claims court on Monday, the CJ said some matters were going for years without being concluded.
CJ Koome said the judiciary had been neglected for long, with some judicial officers working under deplorable conditions and expressed optimism that the new regime would support it.

“We are climbing a mountain as a judiciary and we are here at the bottom. (We will climb) by the grace of God and with support of everybody, including the President (William Ruto) who said that all he can do is strengthen the judiciary by giving us whatever is required for us to go where we are going,” she said.  

The CJ said they were “carrying a baggage of many cases that we have not finished. We must clear that backlog of cases, it is the first thing to do as we climb up.”

She decried the slow speed at which the Meru court of appeal was being built, and ordered the contractor to ensure the work was completed as soon as possible.

“The Meru infrastructure was built a long time ago, probably in the 1940s. Luckily we have started construction and the contractor had better be there working because we needed it like yesterday. Even if it means me wearing overalls and coming to supervise the construction because I cannot (continue) seeing my officers sitting in such indignity to hear cases,” warned the CJ.

The CJ said she was dismayed after she found one of the magistrates working from a container, saying it was a bad picture in a county ranked as seventh in contribution to GDP.

“We actually said a prayer with the bishop (Kawira Mwangaza) and said dear Lord take away this spirit of poverty. We do not want this mentality of poverty. Why would the judiciary bring something like that and have judicial officers sitting in a place like that?” she posed.

Accused person

State Counsel Esther Macharia said some officers were working in tiny rooms and recounted an incident where a prosecutor was attacked by an accused person who was standing nearby.

“We ask that building of the court be expedited so as to reduce congestion. We had a case during the Covid-19 period when a prosecutor was attacked by one of the accused persons because of the closeness as we proceed with our cases,” she said.

CJ Koome welcomed an offer from Ms Mwangaza and county commissioner Fred Ndunga to set aside space for use as court in Timau and Maua.

She also promised to open a court to handle gender based violence cases after Meru was cited as among leading areas with high prevalence of such cases.

Mt Kenya bar association chairman Joe Mutuma appealed for additional judges at the court of appeal in Nyeri, saying the station had only three judges handling matters from the seven counties.

“They are currently dealing with cases of between 2016 and 2018 matters while fresh matters are being filed on a daily basis,” he appealed.

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