Chief Justice and the Chairperson of the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ) Martha Koome on Tuesday presided over the launch of the council’s milestones realised in the financial year 2022/2023.
The CJ said “The NCAJ plays a pivotal role in bringing all actors in the justice system together for a common goal of ensuring a coordinated justice system that is adaptive to changing times and attuned to our people’s justice needs. It also champions reforms that ensures that the Justice sector is responsive to the aspirations of our people for an efficient, equitable and accessible system for the delivery of justice as promised in the Constitution.”
“We have witnessed remarkable progress in fortifying our coordination within the justice sector, catalyzing reform in both the criminal and civil justice sectors, expanding justice to the vulnerable who are often on the fringes of our society, and in elevating the administration of justice to new heights, right down to the grassroots, all thanks to the tireless work of our courts,” she added.
Speaking at a Nairobi hotel during the launch, Koome said that over the last financial year, the agencies within the criminal justice sector worked tirelessly to deliver on their mandates with the National Police Service (NPS) processing 97,301 serious crime incidents,
“The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) handled 5,349 complaints, while the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) conducted 2,077 investigations. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) processed 299,483 criminal cases, including appeals and applications while our courts resolved 231,656 cases,” said the CJ.
She explained that the Kenya Prison Service closed the year with a population of 61, 915 signaling an urgent need to augment decongestion strategies.
Koome added that the Probation and Aftercare Service (PACS) supervised 46,504 persons under probation orders, community service orders and aftercare programmes.
“Collectively, the concerted efforts underscore a vigorous and united front in efforts to ensure the efficiency of the criminal justice sector, with each agency delivering on its mandates in close collaboration and synergy with other agencies,” said the CJ.
She emphasized that series of legal, policy, and administrative reforms were initiated to improve the provision of justice to vulnerable populations.
“In an effort to better serve and protect children within the justice system, the NCAJ organized a National Service Month dedicated to children’s issues and successfully convened the 2nd Child Justice Summit to operationalize and bolster the Children Act 2022,” said Koome.
She highlighted that in order to enhance the protection of the rights of intersex persons and enhance their access to justice, the drafting of the Intersex Persons Bill, 2023 was initiated and is ongoing.
“For victims of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), the NCAJ took significant steps towards ensuring the victims access trauma informed and responsive justice by establishing SGBV Court Users Committees and beginning the process of reassessing the Sexual Offenses Act 2006 along with related legislation to align them with current justice needs and realities,” said Koome.
By Onyango Venah
