Court cases backlog dropped by 10 percent, Judiciary report shows

The Judiciary recorded a 99 percent case clearance rate in the 2023/2024 financial year, according to Chief Justice Martha Koome. 

Presenting the State of the Judiciary report on Friday, November 15, Koome noted significant improvements in performance compared to previous years. 

A total of 516,121 cases were filed in the year ending June 30, with 509,664 resolved. Pending cases dropped by 2.16 percent, from 649,310 to 635,262. 

“This decrease demonstrates our commitment to addressing case backlogs and ensuring efficiency,” Koome said. 

CJ Martha Koome: When you have a child, you nurture them. You don’t call them ugly or incompetent every day. This is what we ask of Kenyans. The Judiciary is your institution, and we are here to serve you. pic.twitter.com/5KlhNjALcI — KTN News (@KTNNewsKE) November 15, 2024

The Employment and Labour Relations Court led in clearing backlogs, achieving a 37 percent reduction. It was followed by the Environment and Land Court at 20 percent and Tribunals at 19 percent.   

Koome also highlighted the efforts of the Court of Appeal, which continues to perform despite a shortage of judges.

“We could achieve even more if we had the required 70 judges. Currently, we are operating with only 29,” she said. 

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, who was also present, called on the Judiciary to take a firm stand against sexual offenders.