NAIROBI, Kenya – Chief Justice Martha Koome has reiterated the Judiciary’s unwavering commitment to combating corruption, emphasizing that unethical practices will not be tolerated in any form.
Speaking on Tuesday, Koome unveiled a new intelligence-based strategy to combat graft within the Judiciary.
This approach involves close collaboration with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Koome highlighted the limitations of the traditional complaint-driven model, where corruption cases are addressed based on submissions to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and the Judiciary Ombudsman.
Instead, the new intelligence-driven strategy will proactively identify corruption hotspots, patterns, and individuals engaged in malpractice, enabling early intervention.
“This partnership allows us to proactively identify patterns, hotspots, and individuals who may be engaging in corrupt practices and to intervene early,” Koome said.
Reaffirming a zero-tolerance policy, the Chief Justice assured that the Judiciary would enforce anti-corruption measures without fear or favor.
“These allegations are deeply concerning and cannot be ignored. The Judiciary is a corruption-free zone, and we must implement this policy through both words and actions,” she stated.
Koome linked inefficiencies in court operations, such as frequent adjournments and delays, to underlying corruption.
She criticized the practice of scheduling unmanageable numbers of cases in a single day, resulting in unnecessary delays and frustrations for litigants.
“I have seen court lists with as many as 50 cases in a single day. This is unfair to litigants and advocates who spend an entire day in court only to return home unheard,” Koome observed.
To address these inefficiencies, Koome urged judicial officers to adopt realistic caseload management, scheduling only the number of cases they can reasonably handle daily.
“As judicial officers, we must ensure that we only list a manageable number of cases each day, guided by our capacity to hear and conclude them,” she advised.
Describing the current moment as critical for judicial reform, Koome called for renewed commitment to the values of integrity and efficiency that underpin the Judiciary’s mandate.
“This is a moment of reckoning, an opportunity for deep reflection and reform. It compels us to reaffirm our commitment to the values of integrity and efficiency that define our calling to serve justice to the public,” she said.
The Chief Justice assured the public that the Judiciary is actively working to eliminate corruption and inefficiencies, ensuring justice is timely, fair, and transparent.
