Transparency International Kenya (TI-Kenya), in partnership with Safemark Group, convened a five-day workshop to train the Kenya Judiciary on good Governance and Anti-Corruption measures.
The training held from 19th – to 23rd July 2021 at Hilton Hotel, Nairobi was a culmination of a comprehensive study undertaken by TI-Kenya to map out corruption and unethical practices in the Judiciary and develop a Governance and Anti-Corruption strategy for reducing, eliminating and preventing such practices.
According to the 2019 Kenya Bribery Index published by Transparency International Kenya last year, the Judiciary was ranked as the most bribery-prone institution at 69%, a marked increase from 44% recorded in 2017. The Bribery Index maps out bribery within the public sector in Kenya, focusing on key services by government agencies.
Speaking during the inaugural of the training, Ms. Sheila Masinde, the Executive Director at TI-Kenya noted that while the Judiciary continues to deal with corruption and other forms of unethical conduct among its employees, the institution has over the past few years been singled out for attack by its partners in the administration of justice as the weakest link in the fight against graft. Urging the Judiciary to embrace anti-corruption measures to strengthen public trust in the institution mandated with the delivery of justice to all.
Hon. Paul Ndemo, the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Judiciary acknowledged that corruption is one of the single most reasons why Kenyans have insisted on a regular audit of the Judiciary, underscoring the significance of the training.
“Allegations of impropriety against the Judiciary have touched on all staff, including Judges, Judicial and Officers. It is, therefore, our expectations that by the end of the training, you will have been fully sensitized and converted in order for you to be the Judiciary’s evangelists for the gospel to weed out corruption in the institution” Said Hon. Ndemo.
At the end of the five-day learning session, a team of experts managed to take participants through key models including, Public Sector Corruption, Legal and Jurisprudential Disposition of the Judiciary in reference to Corruption, Procurement and Human Resource Management, and Financial Management and Budgeting.
The research study and the training were supported by the World Bank, through the Judicial Performance Improvement Project (JPIP), an institution within the Kenya Judiciary that aims to improve the performance of the Judiciary to provide its services in a more effective and accountable manner.