Chief Justice Martha Koome announced that Kenya’s courts will go paperless on July 1, 2024. This means the end of physical printing and filing of documents, and the beginning of electronic filing (e-filing), making the legal system in the country more efficient and accessible.
It doesn’t end there, as Kenya is also introducing the Causelist Portal. This portal will make it easier for all parties involved in a case to view the relevant files for each day.
Chief Justice Koome is an advocate for using technology to revamp the country’s justice system. She’s on a mission to boost productivity by automating processes. This should make justice more accessible to everyone in Kenya.
Kenya will also launch a Data Tracking Dashboard, which allows court officials to keep track of how long cases take to move through the system. In addition to tracking cases, the dashboard will also find bottlenecks and be able to determine why cases are held up when they are.
The dashboard can also assist the judiciary in determining the location of specialized courts, such as those for cases involving sexual and gender-based violence. It all comes down to making data-driven decisions and supporting victims.
Kenya is definitely stepping up its game to use tech for justice, as it had previously launched a Digital Sex Offenders Registry in 2023.
