By Sandra Blessing
The Judiciary has embarked on countrywide transfers of Judges, Magistrates and staff in October, according to a recent communique from the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary, Winfridah B. Mokaya.
In a memo dated 7th September 2026, captioned “Proposal for Judicial Service Staff Annual Transfers for FY 2026/2027”, addressed to all heads of stations, all registrars, all directors, deputy registrars and heads of implementing functions, and copied to the Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice, she outlined the move.
“The Human Resource Policies and Procedures Manual, 2025, Section B.18.1 (iv), (v) & (vii) stipulates that the minimum period a Judicial Officer or Judicial Staff should serve in one station is three (3) years and two (2) years for hardship areas and a maximum period of five (5) years,” she wrote.
She wrote that a Judicial Officer or Judicial Staff who has served for a period of more than three (3) years in a hardship area may not be transferred to another hardship area in the next six (6) years.
“The above provisions are intended to promote staff mobility, enhance exposure and experience, prevent prolonged stay in one station, mitigate the risks associated with over-familiarity, and facilitate equitable distribution and optimal utilisation of human resources across the Judiciary,” she wrote.
She said in compliance with the policy provisions, the Management-Initiated Transfers for the FY 2026/2027 cycle will be undertaken by 30th October 2026.
“All staff affected by the exercise will be required to report to their new duty stations by January 2027, subject to conclusion of the transfer process and determination of any appeal,” she said.
Mokaya said the exercise will be evidence-based and will utilise Human Resource records as the primary source of employee information, supplemented by approved establishment records, payroll information and ERP records.
“This approach is intended to ensure that staffing decisions are based on accurate, current and verifiable information and that the distribution of staff is aligned with the approved establishment and operational requirements of each station. Implementation Schedule,” she said.
Mokaya said the exercise will be undertaken in the following phases:
a) September 2026 – Data Extraction, Verification and Analysis
Extraction and verification of HR records, analysis of staffing levels and identification of staff who may be due for management-initiated transfer in accordance with the applicable policy provisions.
b) October 2026 – Approval and Issuance of Transfer Letters
Preparation of transfer briefs, consideration and approval of recommendations, followed by issuance of Management-Initiated Transfer Letters to affected staff.
c) November 2026 – Receipt and Consideration of Appeals
Receipt, review and consideration of appeals arising from the transfer exercise in accordance with the applicable policies and procedures.
d) December 2026 – Finalisation of Appeals and Communication of Decisions
Conclusion of the appeal process and communication of decisions to the affected staff and relevant stations.
e) January 2027 – Implementation of Transfers
Affected staff will report to their respective new duty stations and the approved transfers will be implemented.
“This is therefore to request you to ensure that all staff in your respective Court Stations and Functional Units are informed of the planned Annual Management-Initiated Staff Transfers. The communication is intended to promote awareness, preparedness and smooth implementation of the annual staff mobility exercise,” she wrote.
