Judicial officers must pull up their socks on decision writing

Judicial officers in Kenya urged to improve decision writing to uphold justice and public confidence. [File, Standard]

In the chambers of justice, a Judicial officer is many things. At one point, an administrator ensures the courtroom is well managed and the business of dispensing justice continues unhindered. Other times, a compassionate face who not only concerns herself with the content of the law but also with the texture of its delivery. The indignant when in a courtroom should feel part and parcel of the justice project.

And I could go on and on. So what makes a judicial officer go beyond the learning of the law and the mastery of its rigours? Due to that multilayered face of a judicial officer, in this piece, I contend that most judicial officers in Kenya do not take their role seriously as authors to both the parties and the public, in most of their decisions. This malady has mostly plagued the magistracy, with some worrying decisions also from the High Court. The Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court have so far done relatively well.