The new Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Winfridah Mokaya has unveiled the strategies she will apply to support the legal arm of government to perform its functions effectively.
Speaking during her swearing in, Mokaya said she is eager to support the Chief Justice, Judges and Judicial Officers in the implementation of the blueprint and realization of goals for the benefit of the Country.
“I assume this office cognizant of my 14 years in the magistracy that gives me a strategic view, practical socialization, and a deep understanding of the working environment. I fully identify myself with the critical role Judges and Magistrates play day-in-day-out in the execution of the Judiciary’s mandate,” said the new Chief Judiciary Registrar.
Mokaya said she is confident that her office will ably support and facilitate the Judiciary leadership, Judges, Judicial Officers and Staff in the discharge of their mandate.
“My office will embrace a clear deliberate and robust open-door policy in engaging with our internal and external stakeholders including members of our Judiciary family such as Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association, Kenya Judges Welfare Association, Kenya Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges, and Kenya Judiciary Staff Association,” added Mokaya.
The Chief Registrar particularly welcomed other players and agencies in the administration of justice and external partners who have been part of the transformative journey over the past fourteen years to support her.
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Chief Registrar, Mokaya States Six Strategies
Mokaya said there is a lot to be done, but she would like to start with cascading the blueprint throughout the institution to cultivate deeper understanding and ownership of the vision across the entire Judiciary.
She also vowed to push for law reforms to address the emerging gaps in the administration of the Judiciary Fund.
The Chief Registrar further promised to engage with stakeholders on the funding of access to justice as a public good which is as important as security and which requires 100% GoK funding.
“In absolute and comparative terms, the 100% funding the Judiciary is seeking is reasonable. In this regard, we need to make a better case for our budget allocation by shifting the case away from aggregate percentages to more modern and innovative methods that first consider unit costs such as cost per Judge or cost per case and then elevate the budget case to formal and universal justice needs in line with the STAJ vision,” she stated.
The newly sworn in Judiciary registrar pledged that she would enhance resource and assets, refine the Judiciary’s policy approach to align with results, and re-envisioning the institutional administrative model.
Mokaya clarified that streamlining of the policies will align better with the Judiciary ideals of shared leadership and the constitutional value of decentralization.
Winfridah Mokaya
Further, she has over 27 years of experience in the legal profession and was picked out of the seven candidates the JSC interviewed for the post.
She is officially the 3rd Chief Registrar of the Judiciary of Kenya.
In adittion, she was sworn in on Monday, March 25 at the Supreme Court, Nairobi in a ceremony presided over by Chief Justice Martha Koome.
She takes over her current role from Anne Amadi, who retired in January after a 10-year stint.