Launch of the Performance Management and Measurement Understandings (PMMUs) Evaluation Report 2022/2023
I launched the Performance Management and Measurement Understandings (PMMUs) Evaluation Report 2022/2023. Now, in the 8th cycle of implementation, performance management coverage has grown in leaps and bounds with over 319 units comprising Courts, Offices of Registrars, Directorates, and other Administrative Offices annually signing performance targets, which are assessed to determine the achievements realized.
Through this process, we, as the Judiciary, pride ourselves in promoting accountability and transparency, clearly aware that we are able to account to “Wanjiku” for the work of the courts and all our judges, judicial officers, and staff in the various stations across the country. Our performance management system is now being under-studied by various institutions within our country and other Judiciaries worldwide. In the last couple of years, we have hosted teams coming to learn from us about the successes and best practices of performance management implementation in measuring judicial work.
One of the most gratifying trends observed in this year’s evaluation is the steady rise in the average performance scores of Courts, Directorates, and Units, indicating a general improvement in performance across the Judiciary. The overall performance of the Judiciary significantly improved from 93.71 percent in 2021/2022 to 97.26 percent in the 2022/2023 financial year. There were notable improvements recorded in a number of indicators such as Case Clearance Rate, which improved from 94 percent recorded in 2021/2022 to 99 percent; Case Backlog Reduction of 19 percent from 337,676 cases to 276,678 cases, while the STAJ indicator of cases above 3 years recorded a reduction of 13 percent from 132,798 cases to 115,582 cases.
Similarly, the performance of most courts and administrative units improved in the year under review, with significant achievements noted in the Court of Appeal, which moved from 86.82 percent in 2021/2022 to 94.79 percent in 2022/2023; the Employment and Labour Relations Court, which moved from 92.54 percent to 100 percent; and the Magistrates’ court, which moved from 91.37 percent to 97.67 percent.
As we celebrate the eighth cycle of performance evaluation in the Judiciary, it is imperative that our performance management system tools and metrics are reviewed in the spirit of continuous improvement to align with the principles of STAJ. This includes incorporating indicators that are directly linked to tracking people-centered justice deliverables. For example, indicators monitoring access to justice for the vulnerable and marginalized groups, as well as those monitoring our environmental concerns to go paperless, should now be included in the PMMUs.
