Over 95 percent of the cases referred for mediation by the courts have successfully been cleared signaling a potential of resolving disputes through alternative means.
Chief Justice Martha Koome boasts of an effective mediation system in the judiciary in this financial year that helped clear the backlog of cases up to 95 percent.
A total of 4,708 matters were referred to mediation, almost doubling the previous year’s count of 2,445. Of these, 4,450 cases were successfully settled.
“The average settlement rate for Court Annexed Mediation was an impressive 95 percent, highlighting its effectiveness as an avenue for dispute resolution,” read the report.
Speaking during the launch of State of the Judiciary and the Administration of Justice Annual report CJ Koome also stated that the Judiciary has remained with only one percent of cases pending in the courts representing a 5 percent increase compared to the previous year.
“During the FY2022/2023, a total of 423,394 cases were filed in all courts across the country while 419, 262 cases were resolved. This resulted in a Case Clearance Rate of 99 percent which is an improvement of 5 percentage points from the lady financial year,” she stated.
“For Criminal cases they contribute to 60 percent of all the registered cases. The Magistrates’ courts handles a total of 326, 855 cases being filled within this courts and a total of 320,143 matters were resolved during the same period.”
Speaking at the event was the first CJ under the Constitution 2010 Willy Mutunga who has told politicians to keep from infiltrating the judiciary by defying its independence
“In my office as CJ, whenever I interacted with the Presidents and DPs, I used to tell them one thing, that if you think you can enslave the judiciary, it can also be enslaved by those who come after you, and they can come after you literally. This message is for politicians who are present,” he said.
The Former CJ Maraga has also reiterated Mutunga’s sentiments telling the judges that independence should come from their obedience to their oaths