Hiring of 11 appeals court judges suspended as budget crisis hits

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has suspended the recruitment of 11 judges for the Court of Appeal that was to start yesterday.

The JSC’s planned programmes and activities had been put on hold after the National Treasury asked the agency to cut its spending to 15 percent of the appropriated budget, Chief Justice Martha Koome (pictured) said in a statement yesterday.

“We are compelled to make major adjustments to planned programs and activities. Regrettably, this has necessitated the decision by JSC to suspend all pending recruitments,” Chief Justice Koome said.

Due to the spending curbs, the JSC will now have to prioritise only critical and essential services.

The decision is likely affect the operations of the Judiciary and the JSC, leading to delays in dispensing justice as the appeals court is already understaffed.

The court has 29 judges who serve at six stations nationwide, according to the chief justice. This means that they can serve only nine benches at any given time. She added that as of May 2024, the court had 13,331 pending cases.

The JSC had sought to increase the number of judges to improve services and reduce the backlog of cases in the court.

The commission, CJ Koome said, had worked with legislators to increase the maximum number of  judges in the Court of Appeal from 30 to 70.

‘Austerity measures’

The decision comes exactly a week after President William Ruto rejected the 2014 Finance Bill and announced that the government would take “austerity measures” to reduce expenditure.

The JSC will also channel some of its money to security following the shooting death of magistrate Monica Kivuti at the Makadara Law Courts, Koome said. 

She also noted that the Judiciary will require more money in the 2024/25 financial year to address these immediate concerns.

“In exercising our mandate of advising the National Government on improving efficiency in the administration of justice, the JSC will engage Parliament and the Executive with a view to [enhancing] and [securing] the Judiciary and the JSC budget,” she added.

The JSC had announced the 11 vacant positions and invited applications from qualified candidates. Some 41 candidates were shortlisted in April, 32 of whom are serving judges and nine practising lawyers.