NAIROBI,Kenya, Jul 4- The Judiciary has appealed for sustained government investment to expand court infrastructure, recruit more personnel and accelerate digital transformation, warning that rising demand for judicial services is stretching the country’s justice system despite significant gains in case resolution.
Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court Martha Koome said increasing caseloads, inadequate infrastructure, staffing shortages, ICT constraints and growing operational demands continue to hamper the performance of courts across the country.
Speaking on Friday during the launch of the Judiciary’s Performance Management and Measurement Understanding (PMMU) Evaluation Report for the 2024/25 Financial Year at the Milimani Law Courts, Koome said sustained investment is critical to ensuring the Judiciary remains resilient, responsive and capable of meeting growing public demand for justice.
“The findings underscore an important reality: as public confidence in the Judiciary grows, so too does the demand for judicial services. This is an encouraging development, reflecting the trust that Kenyans continue to place in our institutions. It also places upon us a corresponding responsibility to strengthen our capacity to meet these rising expectations,” she said.
The Chief Justice called for increased investment in modern court infrastructure, expansion of judicial capacity, stronger governance systems, accelerated digital transformation and improved operational efficiency to bridge existing performance gaps.
Her appeal comes even as the Judiciary posted one of its strongest operational performances in recent years.
According to the PMMU report, courts resolved 647,686 cases against 621,425 new filings during the 2024/25 financial year, achieving a 104 per cent case clearance rate—meaning the Judiciary concluded more cases than it received.
The report also shows that the national case backlog fell by 27 per cent, declining from 272,678 pending cases to 244,267, a development Koome described as evidence that ongoing reforms, effective leadership and institutional commitment are yielding measurable improvements in access to justice.
The report assessed 351 implementing units, comprising 330 courts and 21 administrative units, and recorded an overall institutional performance score of 88.12 per cent, placing the Judiciary in the “Good” performance category.
To sustain the momentum, Koome said the Judiciary will continue rolling out technology-driven reforms, including the Integrated Case Management System (ICMS), e-Filing, virtual court services, digital transcription and greater use of data to improve efficiency and enhance public access to justice.
“The future of justice is increasingly digital,” she said, adding that technology should be deployed not as an end in itself but as a tool for delivering people-centred, accessible and responsive justice.
She also said the Judiciary will continue strengthening Alternative Justice Systems (AJS), Court-Annexed Mediation (CAM) and other Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms to ease pressure on courts, speed up dispute resolution and further reduce case backlog.
Koome noted that innovation emerging from court stations across the country should be documented, shared and replicated to drive nationwide institutional transformation.
She further argued that predictable and adequate financing would enable the Judiciary to build on the gains already achieved, saying performance data generated through the PMMU framework demonstrates prudent use of public resources and provides a strong basis for increased investment.
“Every resource entrusted to the Judiciary must translate into measurable improvements in service delivery, expanded access to justice and greater public confidence in the rule of law,” she said.
During the event, Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Winfridah Mokaya said the Judiciary remains committed to ensuring courts and administrative units are adequately facilitated to discharge their constitutional mandate.
Mokaya said resources allocated during the performance cycle have supported court operations, digital transformation, infrastructure development, staff capacity building, monitoring and evaluation, operational mobility and modernization of performance management systems.
The Judiciary also introduced the inaugural Chief Justice’s Merit Award, which will recognize judges, judicial officers, court stations and staff whose exceptional contributions to service delivery, innovation and access to justice go beyond conventional performance measures, as part of efforts to entrench a culture of excellence across the institution.
