CAJ urges Judiciary and LSK to end justice-sector standoff over court boycott
Key points
- CAJ is pressing Judiciary and LSK to turn boycott anger into a timed reform plan.
- The standoff grew from orders and probes that lawyers say freeze accountability for judges.
- Ordinary litigants pay for every closed registry day in delayed land, family and commercial cases.
When lawyers walk out of court, the first victim is not a hashtag — it is the parent waiting for a custody order and the SME stuck in a contract dispute. Eastleigh Voice reports that the Commission on Administrative Justice is urging the Judiciary and the Law Society of Kenya to resolve justice-sector concerns exposed by the court boycott, with an implementation framework and clear timelines rather than another round of statements.
The boycott energy sat on a stack of grievances: interim orders that halt Judicial Service Commission work, perception that sitting days are thin relative to backlog, and a public that already distrusts both police files and commercial delay. CAJ’s pitch is process: sit, map the issues, publish who does what by when.
What a useful framework would name
Targets for judgment delivery, rules for when stays of JSC processes can issue, and a public dashboard of case clearance. Without numbers, “dialogue” becomes a holding pattern until the next walkout.
LSK must also police its own discipline so industrial action does not become a permanent substitute for litigation strategy. Judges need security and independence; they also need visible calendars.
For citizens
Ask your advocate for written status updates. Use court user committees where they exist. Track related coverage under Politics and Crime.
Based on Eastleigh Voice reporting of CAJ’s call for structured engagement between Judiciary and LSK.
