Internal report finds low confidence levels among Judiciary employees

More Judiciary employees are disillusioned with the institution's management and would quit if offered a new job, says a new survey.

The number of employees who have little or no confidence with judiciary’s management has gone up compared to 2017 when the last survey was done.

Data released by the Judiciary last week on employee satisfaction indicates nearly a half of the employees have no confidence in their bosses, with many opting for an exit should they be offered similar employment opportunity elsewhere.

When a similar survey was conducted in 2017, employee confidence level was at 66 per cent. However, in 2019, the confidence gauge stands at 57 per cent. 

Most employees believe the Judiciary does not have a good scheme of service, has no established career path and does not accord promotions fairly. 

The survey covered a total of 250 courts spread across the country. A total of 2,637 responses were received out of the targeted 5,419 translating into 49 per cent response.

Chief Justice David Maraga will be exiting the Judiciary for his terminal leave in November, but leaves behind a growing number of lieutenants who believe their employer does not look out for their best interest.

The numbers indicate the overall level of organisation trust has gone down from 64 per cent in 2017 to 56 per cent.

In 2017, six out of 10 employees said they believed the Judiciary had their interest at heart. This number has gone down from 61 to 51 per cent.

Only 48 per cent of the respondents said they were satisfied with the scheme of service while 46 and 32 per cent respectively believed the Judiciary has proper structures for career growth and promotions.

In 2019, all courts, registries and directorates had satisfaction levels below 50 per cent on promotions. There was a reduction in the satisfaction in all the courts and units apart from Court of Appeal and directorates, which increased by seven and five per cent respectively.

At least 54 per cent of judges were satisfied with the promotions done by the Judiciary while 60 per cent of magistrates and Kadhis gave a similar verdict.

From the data, the other reasons why Judiciary employees may not be a happy lot include salaries, the workload they are expected to clear and little things like toilets and work spaces. The employee job satisfaction index had declined from 64 per cent in 2017 to 60 per cent.

Majority, at 52 per cent, said the Judiciary has no competitive allowances while 61 per cent replied that it does not offer commensurate salary for the responsibility. The overall satisfaction is at 46 per cent up from 55 per cent in 2017.