Chief Justice Martha Koome Tuesday said the Judiciary is grappling with a severe financial squeeze that has slowed the construction of court infrastructure across the country, even as she announced plans to prioritize an ultra-modern court complex for Kisii County.
Speaking during the launch of the Kisii County Alternative Justice Systems (AJS) Council, Koome said the Judiciary receives a limited budget, with the bulk of the allocation consumed by recurrent expenditure, leaving little for development projects.
“We receive a very limited budget as the Judiciary. The majority of that budget goes to current expenditure, but because of the urgent need in Kisii, we have agreed to prioritize the construction of an ultra-modern court that will also be capable of accommodating a Court of Appeal in the future,” she said.
The Chief Justice described Kisii as a historically significant county deserving modern judicial infrastructure, saying the proposed court complex would improve access to justice and support the county’s growing legal needs.
Koome said the Judiciary would continue working with Members of Parliament through the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) to construct courts in sub-counties while seeking additional funding from Parliament for the Kisii Law Courts project.
She also urged Kenyans to embrace technology in the administration of justice, saying e-filing, virtual court sessions and other digital services were helping litigants save time and money while reducing opportunities for corruption through minimal physical interaction.
“Technology has enabled us to reduce human interaction, which also reduces incidences of corruption,” she said.
During the event, Koome officially launched the Kisii County Alternative Justice Systems Council.
She said the county-specific model was developed after research established that Kisii’s major justice challenges stem from land disputes, inheritance and succession conflicts arising from rapid population growth, shrinking land holdings and historical land fragmentation.
“The study showed that each county has unique justice challenges. In Kisii, succession and land disputes are among the most common cases, and that is why we have developed a model tailored to the county’s realities,” she said.
Koome expressed concern over the growing number of inheritance disputes involving close family members, saying Alternative Justice Systems would promote dialogue and reconciliation before disagreements escalate into court battles.
“I cannot understand why brothers take each other to court or children sue their own parents over inheritance before they have even passed on. We want communities to resolve such disputes peacefully,” she observed.
She clarified that while trained community justice practitioners would mediate civil disputes whose agreements can later be adopted by courts, serious criminal offences—including sexual and gender-based violence, defilement and other crimes against children—would remain exclusively under the formal justice system.
The Chief Justice also warned against bribery within the Judiciary, urging members of the public to reject brokers claiming they can influence judges or magistrates.
“There is absolutely no justification for paying a bribe to obtain justice. We are paid by taxpayers, and anyone demanding money to influence a case is committing a crime,” she said.
Koome appealed to the Kisii County Government to support community-based AJS practitioners, saying they play a critical role in resolving disputes, strengthening family ties and promoting harmony within communities.
The Judiciary has been implementing county-specific Alternative Justice Systems across the country following studies that found justice challenges differ from one region to another. Kisii becomes the 16th county to roll out its AJS action plan, with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as part of efforts to expand access to justice while easing the burden on conventional courts.
In attendance were judges and Kisii Governor Simba Arati.
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