Deputy President Kithure Kindiki (in Red tie) during the opening of the 22nd East African Magistrates and Judges Association (EAMJA) Annual Conference in Nairobi on December 2, 2025. Photo by DP's Press.. 
By Ryan Mumo
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has called on judges and magistrates across the East African region to accelerate the delivery of justice, warning that delayed court processes are derailing socio-economic progress and undermining public confidence in the rule of law.
Speaking in Nairobi on Tuesday during the opening of the 22nd East African Magistrates and Judges Association (EAMJA) Annual Conference, Prof. Kindiki described justice as “an indispensable ingredient” in the prosperity of both citizens and nations.
“When justice is inaccessible, development stalls, inequality widens, and the promise of the rule of law becomes hollow,” he said. “Our judicial systems must therefore function not as barriers, but as open doorways through which fairness, dignity, and economic opportunity can flow to every corner of our region.”
The Deputy President challenged regional courts to become more accessible, friendlier and efficient, noting that many East Africans still view formal courts as intimidating, slow and costly.
“Across East Africa, too many of our people still experience formal courts as distant spaces,” he observed. “For millions—women, youth, small entrepreneurs, rural communities—the justice system appears more like a fortress than a support structure.”
Prof. Kindiki urged judicial officers to embrace innovation and adopt flexible, people-centered approaches. He lauded the growing use of Alternative Justice Systems (AJS), Court-Annexed Mediation (CAM), Small Claims Courts and other multi-door mechanisms that offer quicker and more affordable dispute resolution.
“Justice cannot be confined to stone buildings or rigid procedures,” he said. “It must travel to where people live, work, trade and build families. These pathways offer culturally informed avenues for resolving disputes, enabling justice systems to adapt to the lived realities of our diverse populations.”
Reaffirming Kenya’s commitment to strengthening the region’s judicial capacity, the Deputy President emphasized that justice, fairness, national cohesion and security form the “software” upon which the East African Community (EAC) is anchored.
“The future we envision for East Africa is not only about expanding markets or building highways,” he said. “It is about cultivating shared values anchored in fairness, dignity and institutional integrity. Justice is the glue that binds societies.”
Prof. Kindiki acknowledged efforts made across the region in advancing human liberties, gender equality and the protection of vulnerable groups. However, he challenged judges and magistrates to also champion socio-economic freedoms.
“We have not fully asserted the place of individuals and communities to be free from want and poverty,” he noted. “Social and economic empowerment should go hand-in-hand with civil and democratic empowerment.”
The conference brings together magistrates, judges and justice sector stakeholders from across East Africa to deliberate on strengthening judicial systems and enhancing access to justice for millions in the region.
