It was 9:27 AM on December 18th when Judge William Musyoka activated his camera.
He extended a warm welcome, saying ”Karibuni” (Swahili for “welcome”), to the lawyers connected via Microsoft Teams.
The virtual hearing at the High Court of Busia,a town in western Kenya,was now ready to commence.
That day, the civil court was scheduled to review sixteen cases.
The initial matter concerned a land dispute, involving two parties claiming ownership of the same property left by a man who passed away in 2006 without a spouse or children.
Further property disagreements and commercial disputes would occupy the court’s time throughout the morning.
Currently, civil justice in Kenya is predominantly conducted online.
Individuals can observe court proceedings from any location with a computer or smartphone,whether in Nairobi,Mombasa,Kisumu,or Eldoret.
access is granted through the causelist.court.go.ke portal, maintained by the Kenyan Ministry of Justice.Users simply need to input the relevant judicial instance (High Court,Court of Appeal,Supreme Court,etc.), the city, and the date before clicking the link to the virtual court
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The Rise of Digital Justice in Kenya
This shift towards online proceedings represents a notable evolution in Kenya’s judicial system, driven by a need for greater efficiency and accessibility.
I’ve found that this modernization isn’t just about convenience; it’s about dismantling barriers to justice for citizens across the country.
According to a recent report by the Judiciary of Kenya (December 2025), virtual hearings have reduced case backlogs by approximately 20% in the past year.