The Supreme Court has for the first time cleared more cases than it received in a financial year, marking a 103 percent clearance rate for 2024/2025.

Chief Justice Martha Koome described the achievement as proof that reforms under the Judiciary’s Social Transformation through Access to Justice (STAJ) blueprint are paying off.

Speaking during the official opening of the 2025 Judges’ Colloquium in Nairobi on Monday, August 18, Koome praised the milestone as part of broader progress across all courts.

Koome revealed that the Court of Appeal improved its clearance rate to 76 percent, the High Court rose to 118 percent, the Employment and Labour Relations Court achieved 132 percent, while the Environment and Land Court recorded 116 percent. She further noted that adjournment rates, a long-standing cause of case delays, have also dropped sharply.

The Supreme Court kept adjournments below one percent, the Court of Appeal dropped to 11 percent, and the High Court reduced to four percent.

Koome welcomed newly appointed judges while paying tribute to Justices David Majanja and Daniel Ogembo, who passed away since the last colloquium, describing their deaths as a painful loss to the Judiciary.

This year’s meeting runs under the theme “Digital Transformation, Technology and the Law.” Koome said the courts are increasingly handling disputes linked to fintech, artificial intelligence, data protection, biotechnology, and cybercrime.

To keep up, she emphasized, judges must embrace technology both as a subject of litigation and as a tool for efficiency. Among the digital innovations already rolled out are e-filing, an Integrated Case Management System, a new AI-powered National Transcription Centre, the Judiciary e-App, and an e-learning platform by the Kenya Judiciary Academy.

Despite the gains, Koome warned of a worrying rise in cyberattacks and online campaigns targeting judges. She described the trend as a deliberate attempt to intimidate judicial officers and erode public trust.

The United Nations Human Rights Office has raised concern and may soon send a Special Rapporteur to assess the situation and support judicial independence.

To safeguard mental health, the Judiciary has set up a “Families Initiative” that groups judges into peer-support circles. Koome said this would encourage members to share experiences, lean on one another, and build resilience.

She also pointed to the long-awaited Judges’ Retirement Benefits Bill, 2025, which is now before Parliament after Cabinet approval, as a major step in improving judicial welfare.

“The Judiciary is moving with the times embracing technology while standing firm against intimidation and defending access to justice for all,” Koome said.