Judiciary has rubbished reports of corruption in the institution following recent reportage that the law-interpreting wing of the government was among key state institutions involved in graft.

In a statement on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, Judiciary spokesperson Paul Ndemo indicated that while the Judiciary cannot claim to hold an all-righteous ground, some of the information in the reportage was malicious.

“The Judiciary’s attention has been drawn to a story written by one Moses Kinyanjui and published by Citizen Digital on 11th February 2025 (www.citizen digital). The story is titled “NTSA, TSC, Judiciary Among Kenya’s Most Corrupt Institutions -EACC report. The story quotes its source as the National Ethics and Corruption Survey of 2023 released by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission,” Ndemo noted.

“The Judiciary wishes to clarify that it is not averse to public scrutiny. Neither does the Judiciary define itself as a citadel of virtue where no corruption can occur. In fact, it is highly aware of the need to prevent and to fight corruption. It is noted for the record, that in 2021 the Hon Chief Justice Martha Koome invited the EACC to conduct a systems review to identify any weak areas or loopholes that could be exploited for corruption. The findings of the study are now being implemented.”

Dragged into the story

Ndemo laments that the Judiciary’s name had been dragged into the story yet the report fails to outline the level of graft it is involved with.

He stated that the Judiciary has the Ombudsman’s office which processes public complaints and that every court will have an Integrity Committee which will be responsible for enhancing integrity at the court level.

“Automation and digitising of services and processes is yet another measure that the Judiciary is taking to enhance the fight against corruption. E-filing, virtual courts, e-processing of payments as well as offering many of the registry services online, are all ways the Judiciary is employing to increase efficiency and reduce corruption,” Ndemo noted

Ndemo urged all citizens aggrieved by the outcomes of their cases to appeal to higher courts should they have a reason that the ruling was influenced by factors other than the law.

“On the judicial side, if one feels aggrieved by a judgment or has reason to believe corruption or factors other than the law influenced the outcome of their case, they have an opportunity to either appeal to a higher court or submit a formal complaint,” he said.