National Council on the Administration of Justice

10/11/2025

News Release. Nairobi. Monday, November 10, 2025. CJ Koome calls for justice sector institutions to strengthen monitoring and evaluation functions

Chief Justice Martha Koome has urged justice sector institutions to strengthen their Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) functions to ensure effective implementation of the guiding framework for the Kenya’s justice sector.

Speaking during the launch of the Administration of Justice in Kenya Annual Report 2024–2025 and the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Guiding Framework for Kenya’s Justice Sector, Justice Koome said the framework represents a cultural shift toward evidence-based decision-making, performance tracking, and adaptive learning within the justice system.

“By institutionalising monitoring, evaluation, and learning across all justice sector agencies, we ensure that progress is not left to perception and rhetoric, but is anchored in measurable outcomes. This is a significant step toward rebuilding public trust and demonstrating the tangible value of reform to the people we serve,” said CJ Koome.

The Chief Justice noted that the Annual Report for FY 2024/25 celebrates the collective achievements of the justice sector adding that it provides a comprehensive account of efforts to enhance institutional performance, strengthen coordination, and advance access to justice for all Kenyans.

Among the key milestones highlighted in the report is the development of the Anti-Corruption Strategic Guiding Framework for Kenya’s Justice Sector and Strategic Guiding Framework for Greening the Justice Sector. The former, marks a major step in the sector’s collective resolve to combat corruption and economic crimes while the latter, is a landmark achievement, underscoring the sector’s recognition of environmental stewardship as a pillar of justice

“The Anti-Corruption Strategic Guiding Framework for Kenya’s Justice Sector provides a coordinated, multi-agency approach for justice sector institutions to prevent, detect, and respond to corruption and economic crimes,” said the CJ.

She added: “Strategic Guiding Framework for Greening the Justice Sector seeks to mainstream climate consciousness, sustainable resource use, and eco-friendly practices in our operations as actors in the justice sector,” she added.

Justice Koome noted that the NCAJ annual report documents significant strides in strengthening institutional capacity through investments in human capital, ICT, infrastructure, and financial management. It also acknowledges the critical role played by Court Users Committees and grassroots forums in bridging the gap between justice institutions and communities — ensuring that justice is not a distant ideal but a lived reality.

To further strengthen the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ), the CJ urged Members of the National Assembly present to prioritize the passage of the NCAJ Bill. Further, she called on Parliament to consider and pass the Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code Amendment Bills already submitted for legislative review.

Justice Koome reaffirmed NCAJ’s commitment to enhancing digital integration, promoting ICT system interoperability, and harnessing data to facilitate coordinated, efficient, and transparent justice processes.

Speaking during the same event, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Interior and National Administration Kipchumba Murkomen committed to support the NCAJ in finalizing crucial reforms that strengthen the criminal justice sector, including the enactment of the Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code reforms.

“Our arms of Government are like the legs of a stool, each critical in its own way, but not useful without the other two. The Judiciary, the Legislature and the Executive should complement each other for the proper functioning of our democracy,” stated Hon Murkomen.

Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Winfridah Mokaya cited budget disparity and Inadequacy as persistent challenges confronting the justice sector adding that the mismatch between institutional mandates and allocated resources continues to undermine the ability of justice agencies to perform optimally.

“For the Financial Year 2024/2025, the sector required KShs 327.5 billion, but received only KShs 196.4 billion — leaving a funding gap of KShs 131.1 billion. Such disparities create imbalances among institutions that are interdependent in delivering justice. When one institution is underfunded, the ripple effect is felt across the entire justice chain,” said CRJ Mokaya.

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25/03/2025

Nairobi, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. Anti-corruption guiding framework for the justice sector unveiled to fight corruption

Chief Justice Martha Koome has unveiled an Anti-Corruption Strategic Guiding Framework for Kenya's justice sector that is aimed at fostering a robust, transparent, and accountable justice system that proactively addresses the multifaceted challenges posed by corruption.

CJ Koome emphasized that the framework equips Justice Sector Agencies with a clear roadmap of well-defined interventions, spanning short-term, mid-term, and long-term efforts in the fight against corruption.

“By fostering inter-agency collaboration and partnerships, we can effectively combat corruption, enhance service delivery, and restore hope to our nation. This is an opportunity to turn the tide,” stated CJ Koome.

Further, the CJ noted that the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ) had renewed its commitment to both prevention and response strategies in the battle against corruption and economic crimes.

“As duty-bearers, we acknowledge that the fight against corruption is not only a legal issue but a moral imperative. It is our responsibility to safeguard our national values, ensure justice prevails, and promote transparent and accountable governance. We can no longer treat this issue as an insurmountable challenge; rather, we must see it as an urgent call to action,” she emphasized.

She reaffirmed the Judiciary’s dedication to the anti-corruption effort, highlighting that the Judiciary had set up Court Integrity Committees in all courts to address service delivery challenges at the grassroots level.

“These committees will work diligently to identify and seal potential corruption loopholes,” said CJ Koome, while encouraging all other NCAJ agencies to establish their own integrity committees.

To ensure the effective implementation of the Framework, Justice Koome urged all government agencies to strengthen their commitment to their constitutional mandates and to offer mutual support during the implementation process.

“I cannot overstate the importance of adequate resource allocation from the National Treasury in implementing our interventions. Additionally, I call on Parliament to fully support the legal reforms outlined in the framework, as they are essential tools in our efforts to combat corruption,”she urged.

Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Winfridah Mokaya called on justice sector players to lead by example, ensuring that justice is delivered without undue influence, favoritism, or unethical practices. She emphasized that the Framework would serve as a structured roadmap to effectively combat corruption and build a justice system that inspires trust and confidence among all Kenyans.

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula noted that the Anti-Corruption Strategic Guiding Framework for the Justice Sector aims to improve the justice sector’s efficiency and effectiveness in preventing and responding to corruption and economic crimes and aims to enhance accountability, transparency and public trust, and ultimately foster sustainable socio-economic development in Kenya.

National Treasury and Economic Planning Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi underscored the pervasive impact of corruption, noting its potential to undermine political, social, and economic stability, erode respect for the law, and empower criminal syndicates and terrorists. He pointed out the intrinsic link between corruption and money laundering, stating that offenses like bribery and theft of public funds are often committed to illicitly amass wealth.

CS Mbadi called on justice sector stakeholders to devise innovative financing methods to support their mandates. He proposed that recovered proceeds of corruption should be reinvested into the system to bolster ongoing anti-corruption efforts. "While we commit to providing resources, the sector must also explore alternative financing avenues," he remarked.

He added: “Anti-Corruption Strategic Guiding Framework provides us with measures to fight corruption and economic crimes, enhance accountability, and restore public trust in government institutions. It is not just a policy document - it is a call to action. CS Mbadi said.
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01/03/2024

Justice sector agencies face over Sh100bn funding deficit
Justice sector agencies which include the Judiciary, office of the Attorney General, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the National Police Service face a funding deficit of over Sh100 billion.
Other under-funded agencies include the NCAJ itself, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Kenya Prisons Service, Probation & Aftercare Department, the Independent Police Oversight Authority, Witness Protection Agency and the National Council for Law Reporting among others.
“We need a re-think about funding this particular sector. Sh100 billion in our view in the larger scheme of things for an entire sector is a crucial amount of money to support the justice sector,” the acting Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Paul Ndemo told a meeting of the National Council on the Administration of Justice.
He said the justice sector plays a very critical role in ensuring the rule of law in the society is maintained giving local and external investors confident that matters are predictable and that justice is prompt.
He added that there is need for a supplementary budget to fund NCAJ and the anti-corruption agenda in the current FY totaling to Sh83 million and NCAJ Bill at Sh18m.
Apart from the financing shortfall to the individual justice sector agencies, the NCAJ is also facing a funding gap that stands at Sh285 million.
“The funding is to support deepened reforms, strengthening justice sector monitoring and evaluation, justice sector research and innovation, statutory council annual reporting and engagements, and grassroots administration of justice through Court User Committees,” said Ndemo, who serves as the NCAJ Acting Secretary.
He added that there was need to pursue strategic partnerships and resource mobilisation apart from NCAJ agencies contributing to NCAJ programmes.
The Director General, Budget, Fiscal & Economic Affairs at the National Treasury Albert Mwenda said the government was keen to support the justice sector given its critical role in economic development and the fight against corruption.
“If you have a strong justice system, we are able to support implementation of strategic government objectives and deliver on the socio-economic needs of the country,” Mwenda said.
He said the delivery of justice is critical to unlock economic development, especially in the commercial justice sector.
Mwenda however said funding to the justice sector was dependent on the ability of the government to meet its expenditure needs based on available revenues.
He explained to the council that as the end of January, the Treasury had experienced a shortfall of Sh232 billion.
“We are working with the Kenya Revenue Authority to ensure that our revenues remain high and how we can allocate to NCAJ and other critical sectors,” he said.
He said the National Treasury has formulated a National Tax Policy and a Medium-Term Revenue Strategy to unlock additional resources.
He emphasised the need to prioritise support for anti-corruption measures especially after the grey listing of Kenya following concerns over incidents of money laundering.
“We need to give priority to anti-corruption matters and some of these institutions are critical to addressing the non-compliance issues which is important to the Treasury.”
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28/02/2024

The 27th NCAJ Council meeting in Mombasa chaired by Chief Justice Martha Koome entered its second day with various issues lined-up for discussion, among them, the progress on the implementation of the council's strategic plan.

27/02/2024

27/02/2024

The National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ) issued Communique on the fight against corruption, enhanced accountability and seamless delivery of justice. This was during a meeting convened in Mombasa to discuss ways of combating corruption and efficient delivery of service in the justice sector. Chief Justice Martha Koome is chairing the three-day meeting that kicked-off today.

COMMUNIQUE BY THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE (NCAJ) ON THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION, ENHANCED ACCOUNTABILITY AND SEAMLESS DELIVERY OF JUSTICE

WE, the members of the NCAJ, convened for a high-level statutory and consultative meeting to strategise on upscaling measures to fight corruption, enhance accountability and seamless delivery of service to the Kenyan people;

COGNIZANT that we are all collectively bound by the Constitution which requires accountability to the people of Kenya;

CONCERNED that:
· Corruption persists as a complex national challenge and a sustainability threat.
· Corruption continues to compromise public institutions and adversely impact on service delivery and economic growth.
· Corruption undermines accountability and erodes public trust.

APPRECIATING that the justice sector plays a crucial role in preventing, investigating, prosecuting and adjudicating corruption cases;

ACKNOWLEDGING that a large body of work has been done, including policy, legal and administrative reforms on the fight against corruption and enhanced accountability;

REAFFIRMING the justice sector’s resolve and continued commitment to scaling up efforts to combat corruption and reverse its adverse impacts on society;

NOTING that despite a series of critical interventions undertaken to combat corruption over time, the vice is evolving, hence the need for new approaches to address it;

COMMITED to improve our diverse but collective institutional cooperation mechanisms to address corruption and upscale practice imperatives to embed accountability in all our operations and functions;

HEREBY RESOLVE TO:
1. Galvanise our collective efforts to provide strategic and focused leadership boldly and decisively in the fight against corruption.

2. Prioritise systems and processes examination in justice sector agencies to identify corruption risk areas and take remedial measures to seal opportunities for corruption.

3. Digitise and automate processes within our institutions to secure efficiency, accountability and seamless service delivery.

4. Collaborate to automate instant traffic fines to address traffic offences to ease backlog and root out abuse of process within the justice sector.

5. Strengthen inter-agency collaboration and coordination to seal information and communication gaps to facilitate the fight against corruption.

6. Strengthen NCAJ to efficiently and effectively coordinate the justice sector in the fight against corruption.

7. Enhance the quality, expeditious and procedural arrests, investigation, prosecution and trial of corruption-related crimes.

8. Adopt efficient case management systems and prioritize hearing and determination of corruption and economic crimes cases in the Special Anti-Corruption Courts.

9. Prioritise hearing and determination of corruption-related cases through rapid results initiatives, appropriate funding, relevant training and human resource capital.

10. Mobilise adequate resources in the justice sector to sustain the efforts to support the fight against corruption, enhanced accountability and efficient service delivery.

11. Adopt and implement efficient case management systems across all agencies.

12. Augment public engagement through Court Users Committees nationwide to address emerging challenges, rebuild public trust and fast-track conclusion of anti-corruption cases at the grassroots level.

13. Develop a framework and roadmap to guide the short, medium and long-term strategies by all actors to address corruption, enhance accountability and seamless delivery of services, culminating into a national anti-corruption conversation.

Issued at Mombasa this 27th Day of February 2024

Hon. Justice Martha K. Koome, EGH
Chief Justice and Chairperson,
National Council on the Administration of Justice

31/01/2023

NCAJ Executive Director Dr Moses Maranga hands a copy of the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ) Annual Report to Justice Stephen Simon Bejingwa, President of the Court of Appeal of the Greater Circuit at the Judiciary of South Sudan after a meeting at the Council’s offices. The team is in the country on a bench-marking tour courtesy of the Kenya Judiciary Academy (KJA) to study operations of CUCs, Case Flow Management of GBV Cases and the CTS system. The team later paid a courtesy call on High Court Principal judge Eric Ogola before attending a CUC meeting at Milimani Law Courts. The visiting team will also bench-mark with the State Department of Gender, KNCHR, ODPP, NPS and the Youth Correction and Training Centre and Kamae Girls Borstal Institute at Kamiti Maximum Prison before paying a courtesy call on the Chief Justice.

24/01/2023

The Administration of Justice in Kenya Annual Report 2021/22‎, an inaugural report of the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ) was launched by President Dr William Samoei Ruto ‎on Dec. 5, 2022.‎ To download the report, visit link: https://www.ncaj.go.ke/index.php/download/ncaj-annual-report-2021-2022/