NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 15 – Chief Justice Martha Koome will launch her Vision for the Judiciary at the Supreme Court Building on Thursday morning.
The Vision, whose unveiling comes a week after the 15th Chief Justice of Kenya marked 100 days in office, is anchored on the mantra of Social Transformation through Access to Justice.
“After 100 days in office, I share with Kenyans my vision for a Judiciary that is independent, efficient, accessible, responsive to the aspirations of Kenyans and a true guardian of the rule of law,” her office stated.
The launch will be a hybrid event due to the COVID pandemic. Apart from a few invited justice sector stakeholders, the event will be covered by the media and will be streamed by the Judiciary on its social media pages for the benefit of the public.
The Vision by CJ Koome moves the focus of judicial reforms outwards, with a deliberate focus on social transformation, directed towards the realisation of the social justice vision of the Constitution while building on the gains of the last decade.
Social Transformation through Access to Justice is anchored on Accessibility and Efficiency, Transparency and Accountability, Inclusiveness and Shared Leadership, Cooperative Dialogue and Social Justice.
Chief Justice Koome took her oath of office on May 21, 2021 as Kenya’s 15th Chief Justice following a transparent and competitive recruitment process.
Her Vision builds on the previous achievements and reforms in the Judiciary contained in the Judiciary Transformation Framework (JTF) by Chief Justice (Rtd) Dr Willy Mutunga and the Sustaining Judiciary Transformation (SJT) developed under the leadership of Chief Justice (Rtd) David Maraga.
The Vision and forms a foundation for her 10-year blueprint for the Judiciary and also aligns with the Judiciary Strategic Plan (2019-2023).
The JTF, which was launched after promulgation of the Constitution in 2010, set out an ambitious transformation agenda to meet the historical moment.
It improved infrastructure, institutional culture, staffing processes, training, technology, and policies.
The SJT on the other hand built on the successes of the JFT by focusing on enhanced service delivery, placing an emphasis on improving the speed and quality of service delivery by increasing efficiency and effectiveness at both the individual and system levels.
Despite these successes, challenges remain including access to responsive justice, case backlog, and accountability, which Chief Justice Koome seeks to address during her tenure in office.
