According to Amadi, 55 magistrates had left the service during the last three years following decisions of the Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board (JMVB), promotion to judges, interdictions, resignations and deaths/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 2 – Thirty one magistrates who were recently recruited by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) are expected to start work in the next one month.
They include five Chief Magistrates and 26 Senior Resident Magistrates who will be posted to various courts in the country.
“Letters of offer have already been sent to the successful applicants who were interviewed last year. Sixty six vacancies were advertised, but only 31 qualified for appointment,” Judiciary Chief Registrar Anne Amadi stated.
Though the number of magistrates rose from 316 in 2010 to 443 in 2016, she said, it was not corresponding with the backlog of cases at the magistrate’s level.
“The Judiciary will still continue to experience a serious shortage of magistrates despite the new recruitment.”
According to Amadi, 55 magistrates had left the service during the last three years following decisions of the Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board (JMVB), promotion to judges, interdictions, resignations and deaths.
For the magistrate level courts to operate swiftly, Amadi explained that the number of magistrates should be increased to 550 to be distributed among the 116 court stations.
Despite the shortage, Amadi was positive that deployment of the new magistrates will address the current case load.
She further said the judiciary will ensure minimum disruption of court operations despite the shortage of magistrates.
About The Author
