Judiciary of Kenya

After the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya in 2010, the general public, through parliament, sought to reform the judiciary.

A major part of reforming the judiciary was the vetting of Magistrates and Judges in an attempt to weed out unsuitable ones.

The Judicature Act has also been amended to raise the minimum number of Magistrates and Judges allowing more judicial officers to be hired.

In the past residents of North Eastern Kenya had to go all the way to Embu to access a High Court.

It has supervisory jurisdiction over all other subordinate courts and any other persons, body or authority exercising a judicial or quasi-judicial function.

[4] The Employment and Labour relations court is established under Article 162(2)(a) of the Constitution of Kenya 2010.

For instance, the pecuniary jurisdiction where the Court is presided over by a chief magistrate has been increased from KSh.7 million/= to KSh.20 million/=.

The Chief Justice is however empowered to revise the pecuniary limits of the civil jurisdiction by a Gazette notice, by taking into account inflation and prevailing economic conditions.

Their authorities vary in administrative responsibility and range of fining and sentencing abilities.

The Judicature Act is the statute passed by parliament detailing the varying powers and jurisdiction of Magistrates and Judges.

They are established under various Acts of Parliament to determine disputes arising from the decision of government entities.

An independent Judicial Service Commission has been set up to handle the appointment of judges.

[10] The Chief Justice of Kenya is the head of the Judiciary, the President of the Supreme Court and the Chairperson of the Judicial Service Commission.

The current Chief Registrar is Anne Atieno Amadi, who was appointed to the office in January 2014, succeeding Hon Gladys Boss Shollei.