By Issa Hussein - Reporter
Kenya, 3 July 2026 - Chief Justice Martha Koome has called for sustained investment in the Judiciary to address persistent infrastructure, staffing and technological gaps, even as the courts recorded significant gains in case clearance and backlog reduction during the 2024/2025 financial year.
Speaking on Friday during the release of the 2024/2025 Performance Management and Measurement Understanding (PMMU) Evaluation Report,Chief Justice Koome said inadequate court infrastructure, shortages of judicial officers and staff, information and communication technology (ICT) constraints, and increasing operational demands continue to limit the Judiciary's ability to meet the growing demand for justice.
She urged the government and stakeholders to increase investment in modern court facilities, expand judicial capacity, strengthen governance systems, accelerate digital transformation and improve operational efficiency to ensure the Judiciary remains responsive to the needs of Kenyans.
“These 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," Justice Koome said.
Despite the challenges, the PMMU report shows that the Judiciary achieved one of its strongest performances in recent years.
According to the report, Kenyan courts resolved 647,686 cases during the 2024/2025 financial year, exceeding the 621,425 new cases filed over the same period. This resulted in a Case Clearance Rate of 104 per cent,meaning the Judiciary disposed of more cases than it received.
The report also indicates that the country's case backlog declined by 27 per cent,falling from 272,678 cases to 244,267 cases.
Justice Koome attributed the improved performance to ongoing judicial reforms, stronger leadership and institutional commitment.
“These achievements demonstrate that deliberate reforms, effective leadership and sustained institutional commitment are producing measurable results. More importantly, they signify improved access to justice for citizens across the Republic," she said.
The Chief Justice said the Judiciary's investment in technology continues to transform service delivery by making justice more accessible, efficient and transparent.
She cited the rollout of the Integrated Case Management System (ICMS),e-Filing, virtual court services, digital transcription and increased use of data-driven decision-making as key reforms that have streamlined court operations.
The Judiciary has, over the past few years, accelerated digitisation of court services following lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing litigants and lawyers to file cases electronically and attend virtual court sessions in many parts of the country.
Justice Koome said technology would remain central to the Judiciary's transformation agenda as demand for judicial services continues to grow.
The Chief Justice also praised innovative practices developed by courts and administrative units across the country, saying they demonstrate that institutional transformation is being driven not only by policy reforms and resources but also by the creativity and dedication of judicial officers and staff.
She called for successful innovations to be documented and replicated across all court stations.
“Innovation must not remain confined to individual courts or administrative units. Good practices should be documented, shared and replicated across the Judiciary so that institutional learning becomes a catalyst for continuous improvement and nationwide transformation,"she said.
Justice Koome further announced that the Judiciary would continue strengthening Alternative Justice Systems (AJS),Court-Annexed Mediation (CAM) and other Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms to reduce the number of cases reaching the courts and accelerate dispute resolution.
In a move aimed at recognising excellence within the Judiciary, the Chief Justice unveiled the Chief Justice's Merit Award,which will honour individuals, teams and court stations whose contributions extend beyond conventional performance indicators.
The award will recognise officers who demonstrate exceptional commitment to implementing the Judiciary's Social Transformation through Access to Justice (STAJ) Blueprint and make outstanding contributions to improving the administration of justice.
Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Winfridah Mokaya reaffirmed the institution's commitment to providing courts and administrative units with adequate resources to deliver on their constitutional mandate.
She said resources allocated during the performance cycle had supported court operations, digital transformation, infrastructure development, staff training, monitoring and evaluation, operational mobility and the modernisation of performance management systems.
“These resources have supported court operations, digital transformation, infrastructure improvement, staff capacity development, monitoring and evaluation, operational mobility, and the modernization of performance management systems," Mokaya said.
The Performance Management and Measurement Understanding (PMMU) framework is the Judiciary's annual performance assessment tool used to evaluate courts and administrative units against agreed service delivery targets. Introduced as part of the Judiciary Transformation Framework, the system seeks to improve accountability, efficiency and access to justice while recognising high-performing court stations and encouraging continuous institutional improvement.
The latest report suggests that while the Judiciary is making measurable progress in reducing case backlogs and improving service delivery, sustained investment in infrastructure, staffing and digital systems will be critical to keeping pace with the increasing demand for judicial services across the country.
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