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No more middlemen: CJ Koome calls out brokers, wants EACC to act
Chief Justice Martha Koome has condemned the presence of brokers and impostors in court premises, describing them as one of the recurring challenges that continue to tarnish the image of the judiciary.
The CJ said the brokers and impostors, who pose as intermediaries, give judges and judicial officers a bad name and contribute to the negative public perception of the institution.
Speaking during the closing ceremony of the annual High Court Leaders Conference at Sarova Whitesands Beach Hotel in Mombasa on Thursday, April 17, Chief Justice Koome urged judges to take steps to eliminate the brokers from court corridors.
“I have engaged the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and other investigative agencies to work with us in addressing this menace,” said Chief Justice Koome.
However, the CJ said the EACC's role will not be to investigate judges, judicial officers and staff, as that is the responsibility of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
She said the EACC will help them rid the judiciary of the problem of impostors masquerading as agents of corruption in the corridors of the courts.
"I encourage you to report these individuals for prosecution so that we can reclaim our courts as places of integrity, professionalism and public trust," Chief Justice Koome said.
The CJ also said the judiciary has established Court Integrity Committees in each High Court station as stakeholder platforms to address integrity concerns throughout the justice chain within court premises.
"We recognise that many of the complaints of corruption raised by court users are not always about judges or judicial staff, but sometimes relate to actors from other justice sector agencies operating within court premises," the CJ said.
She added that through the integrity committees, they intend to bring together all relevant stakeholders to jointly develop strategies to prevent, detect and respond to corruption and unethical practices within the courts.
The CJ told the judges to utilise the recently launched National Council on Administration of Justice (NCAJ) guiding framework for anti-corruption within the justice sector as a tool for institutional renewal and sector-wide integrity.
She also noted that recent concerns raised by court users about delayed services, frequent adjournments, case backlogs and unethical practices must serve as an invitation to all judges to become more deliberate, responsive and proactive in the management of courts.
"It is through our collective leadership that we can transform the judiciary into a truly people-centred institution that delivers timely, efficient and quality justice," the CJ said.
She noted that the backlog of cases and unnecessary adjournments is an area where the public has expressed frustration.
Chief Justice Koome further said that it is important to urgently address the issue of the backlog of cases, especially those that have been pending in the courts for more than three years.
"We must fully implement the 'No Adjournment Policy' and prioritise the speedy disposal of these old cases that have been before the courts for more than three years," the CJ said.
The CJ also said that there was a need for a speedy results initiative focusing on uncontested inheritance matters, noting that it was unacceptable for litigants to wait for years with their uncontested matters before the courts.
She reiterated the importance of the timely delivery of judgments and urged judges to adopt better case management practices to avoid the accumulation of pending judgments and to ensure that justice is delivered within the prescribed time limits.