Koome formally cancels plans to recruit 16 Superior Courts judges
In November last year, Koome revealed that funding for the Judiciary has consistently fallen short by nearly 50% for the past three financial years

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has revoked the planned recruitment of 16 High Court and Court of Appeal judges as the impact of perennial underfunding of the Judiciary continues to bite.
This was communicated by Chief Justice Martha Koome, who doubles as the JSC chairperson, in a notice published in the Kenya Gazette Notice on Friday.
The JSC had on January 30 last year declared 11 vacancies in the Court of Appeal and another five in the High Court were advertised on February 5.
Also revoked is a notice issued on April 22 last year listing applicants, shortlisted candidates and interviews schedule, which were to commence on July 3.
In the 2024/25 financial year, the Judiciary was among institutions affected by the austerity measures enforced by the National Treasury following the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024 in the wake of the Gen Z protests against tax proposals they considered punitive. Its budget was cut by 15 percent.
“In this regard, we are compelled to make major adjustments to planned programs and activities. Regrettably, this has necessitated the decision by the JSC to suspend all pending recruitments including the 11 Judges of the Court of Appeal which was scheduled to commence today,” Koome said at a function in July.
According to Koome, the Court of Appeal has a total of 29 Judges serving in three different stations across the country, with a total of 13,331 pending cases as of May 2024.
She said they have made efforts to increase the maximum number of judges from 30 to 70 by amending the Judicature Act.
In November last year, Koome revealed that funding for the Judiciary has consistently fallen short by nearly 50% for the past three financial years saying this limited its capacity to meet the expanding demands of the institution.
She cited the need for further investment to fully staff the Judiciary to meet the needs of a growing caseload and enhance service delivery.
“In the past financial year, we received only Ksh 22.42 billion, significantly below the required budget of Ksh 43.17 billion. This funding gap restricts our ability to expand infrastructure, enhance security, and support the wellness of our judicial personnel,” the CJ noted during the presentation of the State of the Judiciary and the Administration of Justice (SOJAR) Report 2023/24 in Nairobi.