The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has announced the suspension of the scheduled recruitment of 11 Court of Appeal judges.
Chief Justice Martha Koome said the decision is part of the measures put in place to implement the directive by the National Treasury to cut down on expenditure by at least 15 per cent in the appropriated budget.
She said because of this, the expenditure is now limited only to essential needs.
“In this regard, we are compelled to make major adjustments to planned programs and activities. Regrettably, this has necessitated the decision by the JSC to suspend all pending recruitments including the 11 Judges of the Court of Appeal which was scheduled to commence today,” Koome who is chairperson of the JSC said.
The Chief Justice noted that the Court of Appeal has a total of 29 Judges serving in three different stations across the country, with a total of 13,331 pending cases as of May 2024.
Koome said that they have made efforts to increase the maximum number of judges from the 30 to 70 by amending the Judicature Act, Cap 8 Laws of Kenya.
She added that resources had to be channelled to secure the Makadara Law Courts following the incident that led to the death of Justice Monica Kivuti and that they need more resources this financial year to address their most pressing needs.
Koome further promised to engage the Executive and the Legislature to enhance and secure the Judiciary and JSC budget.
In April, the JSC shortlisted 41 individuals who would be interviewed for the 11 positions.
Of the shortlisted, 32 are currently serving as Judges while nine are practicing lawyers.
The JSC announced vacancies in the 11 positions and invited qualified candidates to apply on February 9, 2024.
