The Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ) has commended the Judiciary for their prompt action after a recent intervention by the commission on behalf of beneficiaries of the estate of a late Kenyan man.
In a notice dated April 22, the ombudsman noted that the judiciary had released all legal documents requested by the family, an action the commission saw as a testament to its commitment to "transparency and accountability".
"The Commission on Administrative Justice commends the Judiciary for demonstrating a positive commitment to transparency and accountability in a recent case involving a request for information under the Access to Information Act, 2016," part of the statement read.
CAJ revealed that it had received a complaint from the beneficiaries of the estate on April 4, claiming that the judiciary had not released the requested legal items.
"The application, made pursuant to Section 14(1)(a) of the ATI Act, stemmed from a request for information initially submitted to the Registrar of the High Court and the Registrar of Automation on 3rd March 2025," the statement read.
According to the beneficiaries, they had requested a certified copy of the Causelist dated October 7, 2024, before Justice Chemitei, as well as the Google Teams recording of the court proceedings of the same date before the said judge.
However, when the response arrived on March 19, the registrar of the High Court only sent the certified Causelist with no official regarding the Teams recording, which prompted them to seek the Commission's intervention.
The commission subsequently wrote to the Registrar of Automation on April 10, notifying them of the review and directing a formal institutional response within seven days.
Four days later, Registrar of Automation Elizabeth Tanui released the requested Teams recording, which the beneficiaries confirmed reached them the same day on April 14.
"This action is a testament to the Judiciary's respect for the constitutional right of access to information and affirms the growing culture of openness in public institutions," the statement read.
"The Commission acknowledges and celebrates this success story as a demonstration of best practices in upholding the right to information, fostering trust in public administration, and enhancing service delivery."
This commendation comes just a few months after CAJ launched an onslaught on the judiciary that culminated in it summoning senior officials of the Judiciary Service Commission (JSC), including Chief Justice Martha Koome.
The summons, issued on February 28, followed the JSC's refusal to adhere to CAJ's directives to resolve and publish complaints of maladministration against judges, judicial officers, and staff of the Judiciary.
On March 27, CAJ suspended the summons of the 10 judicial officials, citing that it paved the way for dialogue between the two commissions.
“The suspension was necessitated by the need to allow for inter-institutional engagement with JSC through dialogue, mediation and/or negotiation,” part of the statement read.
