The newly appointed Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Wilfridah Mokaya, has committed to advocating for enhanced funding for the Judiciary, asserting that access to justice holds equal significance to security.
During her inauguration at the Supreme Court building on Monday, Mokaya emphasized her intention to collaborate with stakeholders to secure additional funding for access to justice, deeming it a fundamental public good akin to security, necessitating full government financing.
Mokaya asserted, “In absolute and relative terms, the Judiciary’s request for 100 percent funding is reasonable.”
In the current fiscal year, the Judiciary was allocated KES 23.2 billion, marking an increase of approximately KES 4.3 billion from the previous budget cycle.
Despite persistent pleas for increased funding to sustain its operations, the Judiciary has consistently received allocations below its requested amounts.
The administration of President William Ruto pledged to incrementally raise the annual Judiciary budget by Sh3 billion to facilitate the fulfillment of its obligations upon assuming office.
Mokaya underscored the importance of presenting a compelling case for budget allocation, advocating for a shift from aggregate percentages to modern methodologies that consider unit costs such as cost per Judge or cost per case, aligning with the vision of Social Transformation through Access to Justice (STAJ).
As the Judiciary’s chief administrator and accounting officer, Mokaya outlined her key priorities, which include supporting the implementation of the STAJ Blueprint, emphasizing a people-centric approach in justice administration.
Furthermore, she pledged to advocate for legislative reforms to address emerging gaps in Judiciary Fund administration.
Acknowledging the magnitude of the task ahead, Mokaya expressed her commitment to enhancing resource and asset management, refining policy implementation processes, and restructuring the institutional administrative framework to align with principles of shared leadership and constitutional values of decentralization.
Mokaya, who succeeds Anne Amadi, will serve as Chief Registrar of the Judiciary for a five-year term.