The United Nations has raised concerns over a rising wave of cyberattacks targeting the Kenyan Judiciary, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to judicial independence.

Speaking on Monday, August 18, 2025, during the official opening of the 2025 Judges Colloquium themed “Digital Transformation, Technology and Law – Tech Justice”, Chief Justice Martha Koome said that while technology has transformed access to justice, it has also opened new avenues for harassment, intimidation, and delegitimisation of courts.

A statement shared by the Judiciary on Monday night, August 18, 2025, noted that CJ Koome had observed that social media platforms, while serving as important spaces for dialogue and information sharing, have also become arenas where the dignity of judges and judicial officers is undermined.

“Over the last one year, we have witnessed a worrying and ugly trend of increased cyberbullying, targeted harassment, and orchestrated online campaigns against judges and judicial officers,” CJ Koome said.

Social media platforms

According to the CJ, social media platforms have become double-edged tools—important for dialogue and transparency, yet increasingly weaponised to erode public trust in judicial decisions.

She cautioned that these attacks are not simply spontaneous criticism but calculated campaigns designed to intimidate judges and undermine the rule of law.

“These platforms have become conduits for unfounded accusations, half-truths, and outright defamatory allegations intended to sow doubt and delegitimise judicial decisions. Such attacks are not merely directed at individual judges but are calculated to corrode public confidence in our entire system of justice,” she stated.

UN Steps In

Koome revealed that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has formally written to her, expressing deep concern over the digital harassment of Kenyan judges.

The UN has also indicated plans to send the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers to Kenya for a fact-finding mission.

“Just last week I received a request from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressing deep concern over the rising wave of cyberattacks directed at the Kenyan Judiciary and the serious threats these attacks pose to judicial independence,” CJ Koome noted.

The Special Rapporteur is expected to recommend safeguards that could protect judiciaries not only in Kenya but across the globe against emerging digital threats.

“The Special Rapporteur’s recommendations will be invaluable in shaping interventions that judiciaries and legal professions, both in Kenya and in other jurisdictions, can employ to counter this new and insidious pattern of attacks on judicial independence,” CJ Koome said.

CJ Koome warned that unchecked online intimidation risks creating a “chilling effect”, where judges may feel pressured to make rulings that align with political or commercial interests rather than constitutional principles.