New Chief Registrar to pursue 100pc funding for Judiciary
Newly appointed Chief Registrar Winfridah Boyani Mokaya of the Judiciary Frida Boyani Mokaya being sworn in on Monday.
Newly appointed Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Winfridah Boyani Mokaya has pledged to seek more funding for the judiciary, saying access to justice is as important as security.
Speaking after her swearing-in ceremony at the Supreme Court building on Monday, Ms Mokaya said she would engage stakeholders on the funding of access to justice as a public good, which she said required 100 per cent government funding.
"In absolute and comparative terms, the 100 per cent funding that the Judiciary is seeking is reasonable," she said.
The Judiciary was allocated Sh23.2 billion in the current financial year, which is about Sh4.3 billion more than what the courts were allocated in the 2022-24 budget.
The courts have been asking for more money to fund their operations, but have always been allocated less than the amount requested.
However, President William Ruto's government promised after taking office to increase the annual budget for the judiciary by Sh3 billion every year to fulfil its mandate.
“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 Social Transformation through Access to Justice (STAJ) vision,” she said.
Key priority areas
Ms Mokaya, who is also the Judiciary's chief administrator and accounting officer, said her key priority areas would be to support the implementation of the (STAJ) blueprint, which advocates for a people-centred approach to the administration of justice.
She also promised to push for legislative reforms to address emerging gaps in the administration of the Judicial Fund.
“There is a lot to be done, but I would like to start with enhancing resource and assets management, streamlining our policy to results cycle and re-imagining our institutional administrative model to better align with our ideals of shared leadership and the constitutional value of decentralization,” she emphasised.
The new CRJ, who succeeds Ms Anne Amadi, will serve for a period of five years.
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She said her experience comes from having been at the forefront of the administration of justice throughout her career, having served as Registrar of the Judicial Service Commission under Chief Justices Willy Mutunga, David Maraga and Martha Koome since 2012.
“In addition, 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,” she said.
Justice Koome challenged the CRJ to be a champion of institutional innovation and revitalisation to keep the judiciary effective in a changing environment.
"As the CRJ, you will be expected to play a significant role in ensuring that the administrative and operational dynamics of the Judiciary move seamlessly to provide an enabling and supportive environment for the Judicial wing of the Judiciary to perform its functions in a conducive environment that guarantees high standards of service delivery to Kenyans," Justice Koome said.
The CJ further noted that the essence of the CRJ's success lies in the quest for continuous improvement in administrative processes and responsiveness to the citizens the Judiciary serves.
