You mentioned community empowerment. Tell us how Amkeni supports civil society organizations on the frontlines.

Our Civil Society Facility is the heartbeat of our approach. It’s not just about funding. It’s mentorship, training, and strategic support for grassroots organizations that are often closest to the issues.

These CSOs operate where state services are patchy at best. We’ve supported mobile justice caravans, community paralegals, and legal tech pilots. The result is a growing network of trusted, credible organizations delivering justice directly to people’s doorsteps.

We’re not just extending the reach of the state, we’re deepening its relationship with citizens. And we’re showing that local actors, when supported, can be powerful agents of systemic change.

Kenya’s digital court systems like e-filing and virtual hearings—have gained global attention. What lessons can other African countries learn from this model?

If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that real reform has to grow from the ground up. Kenya’s progress in digital justice didn’t happen by chance, it came from strong leadership, a shared vision, and partnerships that spanned from judges to civil society leaders to tech developers.

But we didn’t just throw technology at the problem. We listened. We asked: What do people need? What’s already working? What’s standing in their way? That’s how we ended up with systems like e-filing and virtual courts, not because they were trendy, but because they were timely and rooted in our context.

Now, can other African countries learn from Kenya? Absolutely. But it’s not about copying and pasting. It’s about pausing to ask: What are our people’s realities? For some places, that might mean starting with simple digital registries. For others, it could mean investing in virtual hearings or building out connectivity. What matters is starting where it makes sense and doing it with people, not just for them.

Of course, challenges like internet access, electricity, digital literacy, and language barriers are very real. And we have to face them head-on. But inclusion isn’t optional. At Amkeni, we’ve seen what happens when you invite community organizations to be part of the journey. They help decode tech, build trust, and make sure the most marginalized pastoralists, persons with disabilities, informal workers aren’t left behind.

COVID-19 really pushed us. It forced courts to go virtual almost overnight. It was messy. It was hard. But it also opened a door. With the Judiciary and our partners, we helped turn that crisis into a catalyst. We didn’t go back to “business as usual”, we pushed forward into something better.

Today, we’re seeing justice delivered faster, more efficiently, and to more people than ever before. But none of this would have stuck without legal and policy reforms to anchor it. The truth is, the law has to catch up to innovation. That’s how we build systems that last and that serve everyone.

Digital inclusion is a big concern. How is Amkeni ensuring that no one is left behind in this shift?

Digital justice can’t just be about new tools. It has to be about new possibilities for everyone. At Amkeni, we’ve been intentional about making sure this digital shift doesn’t become another divide.

One story that always stays with me is from Lamu. You have to imagine what justice looked like before families spending hours, sometimes days, crossing the sea to reach courts on the mainland. It was expensive, exhausting, and, for many, simply not an option.

Then we partnered with Faza Youth Group. They’re local. They know the islands. And with some digital support, connectivity, equipment, and training they created a lifeline. Now people can file cases, attend hearings, and follow up on court matters without leaving their communities. It’s not just access it’s dignity restored.

And that’s just one example. Across the country, we’ve worked with grassroots CSOs to set up digital legal aid clinics tailored to real, local needs. Some are in market centres. Others in remote villages. But the idea is the same: bring justice closer, and make it work for the people who need it most.

Through our EU-funded work, we’ve also made sure these clinics are equipped with the right tools—hardware, internet, and crucially, training. We don’t just teach people how to log on. We train them to understand ethics, privacy, and how to protect sensitive information. Because access must also come with safety and trust.

This is what “leave no one behind” looks like in action. We’re not just planting computers, we’re investing in people. People who speak the language, who know the culture, and who carry the trust of their communities. Together, we’re not just building a digital justice system—we’re building a stronger, more resilient society from the ground up.