This archive report was first published on 4 September 2019.
On September 4, 2019, Chief Justice David Maraga announced that the Judiciary was at an advanced stage in digitizing its operations to facilitate the expeditious disposal of cases and maintain the integrity of records.
Speaking at a capacity-building workshop on cybercrime and electronic evidence in Nairobi, Mr. Maraga emphasized the importance of technology in speeding up the hearing of cases and ensuring the integrity of records, which are mostly in paper form.
He highlighted the challenges associated with manual records, including the inadvertent destruction or loss of records, especially exhibits, from files, as well as instances where exhibits disappear from the files due to collusion between parties involved and some staff at the Judiciary.
“Handling of records in cases of voluminous records in regard to petitions, one needs a lot of space, but if we move to the digital front, a judge can download the files he needs and move with them to their home and write the judgment at the comfort of their homes and much faster,” said Mr. Maraga.
The Judiciary has allocated Sh400 million for its ICT department to support the digitization process this year. Mr. Maraga noted that the Supreme Court has already been fully automated, with the Court of Appeal next in line. A pilot project has been conducted at the Commercial Division of the High Court, and equipment is being acquired for use before moving to other divisions and regions.
Mr. Maraga emphasized that the Judiciary cannot afford to be left behind in embracing technology, and they are making good progress. He added that by the end of the year, there would be significant developments in the digitization process.
Markus Green, an AGA-AAP board member, highlighted the need for strong cyber awareness, industry-aligned processes and procedures, and the right technology to combat cybercrimes. He noted that Kenya is ranked third in Africa and 45th globally in the 2017 world cyber security index, with cybercrime accounting for Sh21 billion in Kenya alone last year.
