Judiciary collects Sh1.6 billion in court fines

Chief Justice David Maraga.

The Judiciary raised Sh1.6 billion in the last financial year through court fines, fees, forfeitures and other charges.

This is a 46 per cent increase from the previous year. Chief Justice David Maraga said the increase was as a result of various factors, including faster conclusion of cases during the year under review.

It emerged 484,349 cases (343,109 criminal and 141,240 civil cases) were filed and 469,359 resolved.

“The clearance rate, the rate at which cases are filed as compared to the rate at which they are resolved, was an impressive 97 per cent,” he said.

For instance, the magistrates’ court in Homa Bay that recorded a 1,200 per cent increase in court fines had 1,109 criminal cases concluded during that period. Gatundu Law Courts had Sh11.1 million as compared to Sh295,225 recorded in the previous year.

However, stations such as Ruiru and Shanzu Law Courts had zero per cent revenue growth and Kakamega two per cent.

In a 2018/19 report on the state of the Judiciary and the Administration of Justice, the increase is also attributed to the fact that the Judiciary uses a cashless system to collect revenue in all its stations in the country.

The cashless system includes M-Pesa, direct banking and through agency banking and this, the Judiciary says, has minimised the risks involved in handling cash.