The Judiciary has partnered with the Kenya Editors Guild and the Kenya Judiciary Academy to train court reporters ahead of the 2022 elections.
In a statement on Tuesday during the announcement of the partnership, Chief Justice Martha Koome said, “the media training partnership would be instrumental in educating Kenyans on the role of the Judiciary”.
“Judges and judicial officers often get discouraged when court proceedings or court decisions are misreported by reporters.” Added CJ Koome.
Hence, the partnership will facilitate the Judiciary’s mutual endeavour of securing access to justice for all Kenyans and further yield the outcome of a better, more informed citizenry that is able to advance and own their power as agents of justice.
In addition, the Chief Justice termed the media and the Judiciary as “accountability twins” who serve as checks on the functioning of the State.
The two institutions also play a role in societal development as they work towards bringing to light the various problems in society.
The Committee is implementing a work plan that will ensure the Judiciary is prepared to handle the pre-election and post-election disputes during the 2022 election.
The work plan will include a comprehensive training schedule for all judges, judicial officers, and judicial staff on matters of electoral law, especially emerging issues and areas of law reform and full activation of e-justice.
The committee, in collaboration with the Kenya Judiciary Academy, will train a team of 1000 people that comprise of:120 judges, 480 magistrates and 400 Judicial staff. Once trained, the officials will handle any surge in the number of disputes lodged in the courts.
“The Judiciary is ready to defend the fairness and integrity of the electoral process by enforcing the electoral standards and norms stipulated in the Constitution and electoral laws,” she said.