NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 28 – Chief Justice Martha Koome has stressed the need to harmonize the country’s criminal laws with the provisions of the 2010 Constitution of Kenya.
Her statement follow a consultative meeting held jointly between the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ) and the National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC).
CJ Koome, who also chairs the NCAJ, expressed her concerns over the existing legal framework, which she described as containing numerous outdated provisions.
“Our penal laws are over half a century old and contain many outdated provisions with colonial underpinnings, which do not reflect the current Kenyan society,” she said.
During the meeting, the NCAJ and JLAC conducted a comprehensive review of the proposed legislative reforms within the Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code.
Koome underscored the importance of ensuring the continuous flow of information and updates regarding the ongoing review of the criminal justice system to the JLAC.
She also commended the dedication and collaborative efforts of the multi-agency Committee on Criminal Justice Reforms (NCCJR), led by Lady Justice Grace Ngenye, Judge of Appeal in streamlining the justice system.
The CJ reiterated her commitment to enhancing access to justice at the grassroots level and called for strengthened collaboration to achieve shared objectives in the pursuit of a more equitable and just legal system for all Kenyan citizens.
