NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 22 — The Supreme Court has reviewed its General Practice Directions as the apex court lays the ground for 2027 presidential election petitions.
The changes published under Gazette Notice No. 9516 circulated on Monday revise key provisions in the 2020 framework to enhance efficiency, clarity, and communication in court processes.
Chief Justice Martha Koome, President of the Court, authorised July 16 as the effective date, marking the Court’s most detailed procedural realignment since the enactment of the 2020 Practice Directions under Gazette Notice No. 9586 of 2020.
Expanded access
One notable revision involves the expansion of the Court’s contact information to include multiple mobile lines and the addition of dedicated email addresses for the Supreme Court registries in Mombasa and Kisumu.
This contrasts with the 2020 edition, which listed a single landline number and email.
The Supreme Court also listed its official page, www.supremecourt.judiciary.go.ke, from the general Judiciary domain (www.judiciary.go.ke), reinforcing institutional visibility and case tracking online.
Mandatory contact disclosures
In a newly introduced paragraph (7A), litigants are now required to furnish full contact details when filing pleadings.
Contact details will include postal, telephone, email, and physical addresses. Advocates must also submit their names and mobile contacts.
Parties are further obligated to notify the Court of any subsequent changes to the details provided as an accountability measure.
The new directions also adjust document formatting margins by dropping varying requirements in the 2020 edition which provided for margins of 3.0 cm on the left and 1.5 cm on the right.
The updated rules standardize margins to 1 inch (approximately 2.54 cm) all around, aligning the court with international formatting standards.
In addition, the seven-judge court has revised page limits for written submissions with appeals from the Court of Appeal allowed up to thirty pages, doubling the previous 15-page cap set in 2020.
In cases where two or more petitions are consolidated, submissions may extend up to thirty-five pages, reflecting the complexity and scale of such proceedings.
Procedural discipline
The changes are part of broader efforts to streamline operations and address challenges identified through past litigation cycles.
With growing caseloads—particularly during high-stakes presidential petitions—the Supreme Court has been pushing for greater procedural discipline, digitization, and decentralization.
The updated directions also seek to enhance access for litigants outside Nairobi, with the regional registry emails reinforcing Supreme Court operational presence in the coastal and western regions.
