JSC secretary and Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Winfridah Mokaya/JUDICIARYThe Judiciary has announced a raft of measures to tackle case backlogs, delayed rulings, absenteeism and misconduct in a renewed push to restore public confidence in the administration of justice.
The measures were agreed by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and the Judiciary Leadership Team (JLT) during joint deliberations held Friday, with court leaders being placed under greater responsibility to ensure efficient delivery of justice.
Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Winfridah Mokaya, who is also secretary to the JSC and JLT, said the reforms are anchored on the need for a Judiciary that is independent while remaining accountable to the public.
The two institutions acknowledged concerns raised by court users, advocates and members of the public over delays in justice delivery, judicial and staff performance, handling of complaints and transparency.
Mokaya said the Judiciary must remain responsive to the people it serves, stressing that independence and accountability should work together.
“An independent Judiciary must equally be accountable, responsive, efficient and worthy of the confidence of the people it serves,” the joint communiqué stated.
Under the new measures, heads of courts, heads of stations and other supervisors will be required to take greater responsibility for the functioning of courts under their leadership.
They will be expected to act proactively on case backlogs, delayed judgments and rulings, absenteeism, underperformance, misconduct and challenges affecting registry services.
The JSC and JLT said performance, integrity and backlog management will be regularly reviewed at leadership and court-management levels to ensure emerging problems are identified and addressed early.
The Judiciary will also strengthen active case management and introduce measurable and time-bound interventions aimed at reducing backlogs and delays.
Performance dashboards, court data and technology-enabled monitoring systems will be used more extensively to identify delays and facilitate timely intervention.
Mokaya said reliable data will increasingly inform workload, staffing and recruitment decisions to ensure judicial resources are deployed where they are most needed.
The institutions also moved to address concerns surrounding the publication of individual judicial performance information.
They said information released to the public must be accurate, verified and a true reflection of the work undertaken by individual judges and judicial officers.
Existing performance reporting criteria will therefore be reviewed to account for factors such as multi-judge benches, shared judicial work, case complexity and other responsibilities.
Individual performance information will only be published after the underlying data and methodology have been sufficiently verified.
The Judiciary also reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance on corruption and misconduct.
Existing integrity and accountability structures will be reviewed to clarify mandates, eliminate duplication and improve coordination, follow-up and reporting.
Greater attention will be paid to misconduct involving Judiciary staff, including registry and frontline personnel.
The institutions said every interaction between a court user and the Judiciary contributes to public confidence in the justice system.
They also committed to improving communication with litigants, advocates and members of the public by developing clearer feedback mechanisms on complaints, enquiries and representations.
Mokaya said the Judiciary will shift from largely reactive communication during controversies to “a more proactive, regular and transparent engagement with the public.”
The JSC and JLT said the success of the reforms will ultimately be measured by faster justice, reduced backlogs, stronger integrity, greater transparency and increased public confidence
