Chief Justice Martha Koome on Wednesday announced the suspension of the recruitment of eleven Courts of Appeal judges.
In her announcement, Koome in her capacity as Chairperson of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) attributed the suspension to the government's decision to cut the Judiciary's budget.
CJ Koome stated that the Judiciary learned of the looming budget cuts through a circular issued by the National Treasury.
According to Koome, the Treasury informed the Commission of expenditure being curtailed to 15 per cent of the appropriated budget.
She noted that the reduction in the allocation would force the Judiciary to limit expenditure to only critical and essential services.
“This directive has far-reaching consequences on the operations of the Judiciary and the JSC,” the CJ noted.
“Regrettably, this has necessitated the decision by the JSC to suspend all pending recruitments including the 11 Judges of the Court of Appeal which was scheduled to commence today.”
CJ Koome warned that failure to recruit more Appellate Court judges on account of a limited budget would greatly hamper the Judiciary's operations.
According to Martha Koome, the tragic death of Makadara Magistrate Monica Kivuti also necessitated restructuring and reallocation of the budget to enhance security within the courts.
The Judiciary thus urged the government to allocate more resources in the Financial Year 2024/2025 to address the emerging security and logistical concerns.
"In exercising our mandate of advising the National Government on improving efficiency in the administration of justice, the JSC will engage Parliament and the Executive to enhance and secure the Judiciary and the JSC budget," Martha Koome stated.
"The administration of justice is the cornerstone of democracy and its effective functioning is critical in maintaining public order and respect for the rule of law."
