This archive report was first published on 12 June 2021.
On June 12, 2021, Chief Justice Martha Koome addressed the budget allocation for the Judiciary, expressing concerns over the limited funds allocated to the institution.
Speaking during the assumption of office of Justice Daniel Musinga, the president of the Court of Appeal, CJ Koome noted that the Judiciary was allocated Sh17.9 billion, which is approximately half the amount allocated to Parliament.
She emphasized that the budget allocation is often slashed during mid-year reviews, making it challenging for the Judiciary to deliver its services effectively.
“Mr Speaker, I note that even though Judiciary is decentralised across the country, employs over 4,000 staff, it has half of Parliament’s Sh. 37 billion budget,” she said.
CJ Koome highlighted the need for the Judiciary to clear cases over 5 years old, adopt new technology to enhance efficiency and access to court, take justice closer to the people, and increase the speed of resolution of all cases.
She also mentioned that the Judiciary had benefited from funding from the World Bank via the Judicial Performance Improvement Project for the past five years, but emphasized that the Judiciary’s day-to-day work cannot be dependent on donor funding.
“I am therefore calling on Parliament and the National Treasury to fully fund Judiciary’s budget,” she said.
She added that her vision is to continue building on the firm foundations predicated on the Judicial Transformation Framework and the Sustaining Judicial Transformation, with a focus on a bottom-up approach towards improving access to and quality of justice.
