By Michelle Ndaga
The Judiciary of Kenya is crafting an Artificial Intelligence Adoption Policy Framework to guide the integration of AI tools into judicial operations, Chief Justice Martha Koome has announced.
Speaking during a meeting between the Supreme Court of Kenya and Ethiopia’s Federal Supreme Court in Nairobi, CJ Koome said the policy aims to enhance case management, legal research, predictive analytics, and administrative support, while safeguarding judicial independence, data privacy, and due process.
She noted that the Judiciary is committed to an inclusive digital transformation, with ICT help desks at Huduma Centres and court stations to assist court users, especially the elderly, indigent, and digitally illiterate.
Koome highlighted interoperability between justice sector institutions as a key challenge but said progress has been made through integration with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, with plans to link other agencies such as police, prisons, probation, and the children’s department.
On cybersecurity, the CJ stressed the high cost of protecting digital systems from cyber threats, adding that the Judiciary is investing in robust measures to safeguard its infrastructure.
The Ethiopian delegation, led by Vice President Abeba Embiale Mengste, was in Kenya for a regional exchange on integrated case management and electronic record systems. Justice Isaac Lenaola, chair of the Judiciary’s ICMS Committee, said Kenya is ready to offer ICT support to Ethiopia as it targets full judicial digitization by 2026.
