NAIROBI, Kenya — The Judiciary has concluded its nationwide public budget consultations for the 2026/27 financial year, emphasising the urgent need for increased funding to enhance the country’s justice delivery systems.
The final forum, held at Jericho Social Hall in Makadara, Nairobi, was led by Chief Registrar Winfridah Mokaya, who highlighted public participation as both a constitutional obligation and a vital partnership between the Judiciary and the citizens whose authority it exercises.
“Judicial authority is delegated by the people, and with that delegation comes an unqualified obligation to account for how resources entrusted to us are deployed. We therefore appear before you as stewards of a public trust ready to present our performance for the last financial year and the investment proposals for the year ahead,” Mokaya said.
A central focus of her presentation was court security, which she described as the foundation of judicial independence. Mokaya noted that many courts still operate in unsafe or inadequate facilities, affecting judges, staff, litigants, children, survivors of crime, and the public from fully participating in the justice process.
She also highlighted persistent congestion in Nairobi courts, which handle almost a quarter of the country’s total caseload.
With a resident population of 5.4 million and an additional 2.5 million commuters daily, the capital’s courts face immense pressure across traffic matters, commercial litigation, constitutional petitions, family disputes, children’s cases, and criminal trials.
To ease these strains, the Judiciary has prioritised the completion of new court buildings in Kasarani, Mihango, and Huruma, alongside accelerated investment in specialised courts, including Small Claims, Anti-Corruption, Gender Justice, and Children’s Courts, which have seen rising demand.
For the 2026/27 financial year, the Judiciary has proposed a budget of Sh46 billion—equivalent to 0.7pc of the national budget. However, the indicative allocation stands at Sh29 billion, leaving a funding gap of Sh17 billion.
Mokaya warned that the shortfall threatens the deployment of judicial officers, digitisation efforts, court infrastructure expansion, and efficient handling of sensitive cases, particularly those involving children.
The Judiciary is also prioritising digital transformation, including expansion of the e-filing system, automation of registries, strengthening of the Case Tracking System (CTS), and investment in mobile courts, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), and the Alternative Justice Systems (AJS) framework.
“Our proposals are geared toward building a future-ready justice system. Sufficient funding will translate into faster case resolution, reduced backlogs, enhanced security, and improved protection for vulnerable court users,” Mokaya said.
Finance Directors from the Judiciary and the Judicial Service Commission presented performance highlights and budget proposals, while Deputy Chief Registrar Paul Ndemo, Registrars, and Directors responded to public queries.
The Makadara forum brought together representatives from the County Commissioner’s office, County Assembly, Law Society of Kenya, ODPP, Probation, National Police Service, Prisons, persons with disabilities, religious organisations, and children from a borstal institution.
The hearings, also conducted in Lodwar, Ol Kalou, Migori, and Chuka, concluded the Judiciary’s nationwide public consultation process for the 2026/27 financial year, signalling a renewed push for resources to strengthen Kenya’s justice sector.
