Consultative discussions among leaders of the three Arms of Government.
The meeting of the three Arms of Government this morning addressed critical issues among them the implementation of the transport policy and leasing framework to facilitate secure and dependable mobility of Judges as an essential tool of trade.
I assured Judges of the enduring commitment to protect the constitutional principle that guarantees the independence of the Judiciary. I also reminded the Judges of our collective accord to root out graft, which undermines the rule of law and fair administration of justice.
To augment efforts by the Judiciary and JSC to address issues raised by the public on corruption and misconduct, the three Arms of Government and Council of Governors agreed to individually develop policies, guidelines and legislative proposals to speed up corruption cases.
They will develop and institutionalise mechanisms to streamline operations in the criminal justice continuum, use technology, unlock pending legislation to tighten accountability and secure institutional resource optimality to fight corruption and improve services.
Specific measures will be presented at a meeting of NCAJ which will result in a roadmap detailing short term, medium term and long term strategies to address corruption, enhance delivery of services to the public and harness accountability across all Arms of Government.
Further, the Executive and Legislature will support additional budgetary allocation to the Judiciary to continue with the progressive trajectory to reform court registries from manual to smart registries through automation.
Support will be extended to Alternative Dispute Resolution, including AJS, facilitation of court circuits and mobile courts to deliver cost-effective justice, expand the reach of the Small Claims Courts and off-grid solar infrastructure to facilitate uninterrupted services.
Judges will be facilitated to engage with the public through ‘open days’ starting February to find common solutions towards efficient administration and delivery of Justice. A Peer Review and Mentorship Framework for Judges and Judicial Officers will also be rolled out.
Owing to the growing number of cases being filed, the State House meeting agreed to facilitate the JSC with resources to hire 25 additional Judges of the High Court and 11 Judges of the Court of Appeal, in efforts to optimise the human resource capacity in the Judiciary. The operationalisation of the Judiciary Fund has suffered setbacks affecting the ability of the Judiciary to maintain a smooth operational system. Collaboration to streamline these pitfalls will translate into more efficient courts.
I informed the Judges that the Judiciary, Executive and Legislature agree that the rule of law is a basic tenet of our constitution architecture and a principle of our democracy. The three Arms of Government committed to obey court orders and institutional independence.
The inaugural Summit of the Leaders of the Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary is historical and will ensure that we continue to collaboratively address the fight against corruption, better accountability and efficient delivery of service for the good of the Kenyan people.
