On Monday, the 20 newly appointed High Court judges went through an induction exercise in Naivasha.
It was an exercise organized by the Kenya Judiciary Academy (KJA) as part of the Judiciary’s continuing education agenda to orient them to their new roles.
The induction focused on current issues and cutting-edge legal issues.
This will ensure that the jurisprudence they produce is of high quality and relevant to Kenyans’ needs, lived realities, and social circumstances.
The judges will embark on Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) in seven divisions of the High Court at Milimani Law Courts to resolve 12,000 cases in the next six months.
KLRC Commissioner Duncan Okello acknowledged that the background of the newly appointed judges is impressive, expressing hope that they will approach their role with both dedication and honesty.
“We recognise that you bring to the High Court a wealth of blended experience from the bar, the bench, academia, civil society, and other capacities in which you have served the nation. We are confident that you will conduct your duties with zeal and integrity” he said.
The training has been carefully curated, incorporating crucial aspects of the law that judges encounter on a day-to-day basis, as well as judges’ experiences, with helpful nuggets on soft skills and how to navigate the rigours of judges calling.
Principal Judge Eric Ogola, who also attended the induction, cautioned the judges that theirs is not a job for the timid.
“This Court will leverage your energy and your proven ability for more impetus and freshness to push the High Court to the next level. I counsel you, honourable Judges, to be selfless, consistent, diligent and brave, because Judgeship is not for the faint-hearted,” he said.
Ogola stated that his vision as principal judge is not “reduction of backlog” but “completion of backlog”.
He added that his vision is that justice will be delivered in real-time in the High Court and a matter will not stay in the court system for more than three years.
