CJ Koome calls for increased budget allocation to the Judiciary

Speaking during a judicial forum held as part of the Family Court Open Day, Koome emphasized that the judiciary cannot function optimally without adequate funding. 

She pointed out that limited resources are affecting the institution's ability to deliver timely and quality legal services to Kenyans. 

The CJ officially opened the Chief Magistrate’s Family Court at the Milimani Law Courts. The court, established in January 2023, is a first and handles family-related cases valued up to Ksh.20 million. 

It has resolved more than 20,000 cases—far surpassing the High Court’s fewer than 4,000 family cases within the same period.

The CJ called on stakeholders to support the judiciary in fulfilling its constitutional mandate.

"Our stakeholders, you have to help us urge for budgetary allocation because if we had the resources to employ the number of magistrates we require and employ the number of judges that we require, this is a model that we would like to operate in every court station," Koome said. 

"Because in every court station, these matters are there, and these matters need to be expedited. The other day, we were being celebrated at the UN meeting, the one called the Commission on the Status of Women that takes place in every March of every year, because of our specialized gender justice courts," she added.

"There are 12 of them, and we would like to scale them to at least 47 to be present in every county. But our problem is resources. When are we going to stop mourning about resources so that we can access justice for our people?"