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Judiciary automates case filing and tracking

Judiciary
SAM KIPLAGAT
By SAM KIPLAGAT
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The Judiciary is leveraging on technology to improve timeliness of service delivery and accountability.
So far, the Judiciary has deployed over 1,300 computers in 137 courts across the country.
According to Mr Nicholas Simani, a consultant at the Judicial Performance Improvement Project, the computers are used for electronic filing, case tracking and daily collection of court data to improve efficiency and accountability.
In his state of the Judiciary address in February, Chief Justice David Maraga said out of 132 courts, 126 of them have reliable internet, while the remaining six are in extremely remote places that do not even have electricity.
The e-filing system has already been rolled out at the Milimani Commercial Division court allowing law firms, lawyers and litigants to file cases online from the comfort of their offices or homes.
Mr Simani said this saves on time required to visit court premises or the banking halls to pay court fees.
“This digital platform will substantially reduce the period one takes to file a case. It shall save time and cost for litigants who currently have to physically receive these services from within the court premises,” he said. 
AUDIT
The case tracking system (CTS) is also live in 49 court stations with over 400,000 cases captured.
The CTS, said Mr Simani, is a management information system that keeps an audit trail from case initiation to disposition. It also generates reports that may be required.
“This system reduces the time it takes to produce a cause list from one week to just one hour. The automated case search facilitates quick responses to clients for over-the-counter queries and reduces turnaround time in serving clients. The case file tracking also assists in minimising incidences of missing files or files being misplaced or misfiled,” he added.
Further, the Judiciary plans to roll out an e-payment and automated fee assessment tool that will generate invoices automatically.
“This system will eliminate issues of over-assessment, under assessment and corruption, saving time and making payments more efficient and prompt,” Mr Simani said.
The automation project is supported by the World Bank. 

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