Digital justice leaves no one behind, Justice Lenaola says
Supreme Court Judge and Chairperson of the Integrated Court Management Systems and Communication Committee (ICMS), Justice Isaac Lenaola, has called on the justice sector to ensure that no one is left behind as institutions embrace digital transformation.
Speaking during an engagement with justice-sector actors on the Digital, ICT and AI Accessibility Roadmap for government services in Kenya, Justice Lenaola urged institutions to establish accessibility champions or focal persons rather than leaving the responsibility solely to organisations such as the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD).
He said accessibility must be embedded within each participating justice-sector institution.
“With the increased use of technology and especially AI, alltools must be inclusive. Let’s make a commitment that we will not digitise exclusion; we will digitise inclusion,” said Justice Lenaola.
The judge acknowledged progress already made, including the development of digital and ICT accessibility policy approaches, adoption of an accessibility maturity model, establishment of institutional structures, and ongoing work on AI governance and policy.
The multi-stakeholder initiative aimed at making government services more accessible to Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)was unveiled during a high-level inception meeting attended by key judicial and government leaders. It marks a significant shift from grassroots digital inclusion efforts towards systemic institutional reform.
Speaking at the same forum, Justice Dr. Kibaya Laibuta brought the conversation into sharper focus through his lived experience, stressing that assistive technology alone is not enough. He noted that if documents, platforms and software remain inaccessible, significant barriers will continue to exclude persons with disabilities.
“From screen-reader-incompatible icons and visually dependent interfaces to scanned documents and incompatible systems, digital justice must be designed with accessibility from the beginning, not added as an afterthought,” said Justice Laibuta.
He said achieving meaningful digital accessibility requires working directly with persons with disabilities, empowering institutional accessibility champions, and making accessibility a mandatory consideration in procurement, ICT and digital innovation.
In his closing remarks, Judge of Appeal Daniel Musinga urged all institutions in the justice sector to adopt inclusion of persons with disability through compliance by design; AI and ICT inclusivity; institutional synergy and collaboration.
Judges who attended the forum include Justices, Dr Jacob Gakeri (JA), Byram Ongaya(JA) and William Musyoka (HC). Judicial Officers, Judicial Staff and officials from other organisations in the justice sector also participated.
