Chief Justice (CJ) Martha Koome, today officially opened the induction workshop for newly appointed Court of Appeal Judges in Nairobi.
CJ Koome told the Judges that they were joining the Court at an exciting time when the Judiciary is implementing an ambitious people-centered vision – Social Transformation through Access to Justice (STAJ) blueprint.
She said the blueprint places a strong emphasis on the courts serving as ‘centres of excellence’ in service delivery, insisting that the Court of Appeal must strive for excellence in the Court’s jurisprudence and court operations.
“We are excited about your appointment given that it gives the Judiciary more hands on the deck that will enable us to effectively tackle the concerns about expedited appellate proceedings,” expressed Koome.
“This is because, the most common complaint by the Kenyan people against the Judiciary is the one related to delay in hearing and determination of cases and appeals,” she added.
Further, the CJ emphasized that the Judiciary’s transformative blueprint sets a clear institutional target of three years for the conclusion of cases at the trial courts, and one year at the appellate stage.
On his part, the Court of Appeal President, Daniel Musinga, noted that the recruitment of the additional 15 judges enhances the capacity of the court to sit regularly, constitute benches predictably, and serve stations with the consistency that litigants deserve.
Meanwhile, the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Winfridah Mokaya who also spoke during the induction reiterated that the new Judges were joining the Court at a time when it required a decisive injection of judicial capacity.
She equally assured that her office will provide the required administrative and operational support to the appointed judges.
By Michael Omondi
