Judiciary scorecard: Gains, gaps, and the ongoing battle for justice
National
By
Mike Kihaki
| Nov 24, 2025
The Judiciary has reduced case backlogs, improving court infrastructure, and expanding access to justice, according to its newly released State of the Judiciary and Administration
of Justice Report.
Hon Paul Ndemu, Dept. Chief Registrar and Judiciary spokesperson, speaking on Spice FM, said the system is making “steady gains” despite persistent structural and societal
hurdles.
“We feel we are making great strides, obviously amidst some challenges. We are starting to eat into the backlog and engaging more with the public,” he said.
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A key milestone highlighted in the report is the adoption of a multi-door approach to justice, which enables Kenyans to resolve disputes through traditional courts as well as
alternative justice systems, court-annexed mediation and community-based mechanisms.
Officials say these options have helped shorten the time taken to conclude cases. “We have seen a reduction in the time it takes to adjudicate cases,” Justice Gitonga noted.
The Judiciary has also intensified efforts to address the long-standing issue of remand prisoners who remain in custody because they cannot afford bail or legal representation.
Teams of magistrates and judges have been reviewing bail and bond terms during prison visits.
“In the last financial year, we released about 3,700 people as a result of the revision of bail and bond terms,” he said.
Access to justice has been boosted through the commissioning of six new magistrates’ courts this year, bringing the total to 143, still short of the constitutional target of 290 but a
marked improvement.
New courts have opened in Dagoretti and other underserved areas. Additionally, 59 mobile courts handled nearly 7,000 matters in regions without formal court facilities.
“Our target is that someone should not travel more than 100 kilometres to get to court,” he said.
Despite these gains, the Judiciary continues to grapple with corruption, which officials admit remains deeply entrenched.
“Corruption is a big issue in the country. It has permeated our value system. We will not hide our heads in the sand,” Justice Gitonga said.
The institution has adopted a zero-tolerance policy, strengthened integrity committees and invited the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to assess internal vulnerabilities.