The Office of the Registrar, Magistrates’ Courts is a vital administrative office of the Judiciary of Kenya. The office began operating in March 2012 with the Registrar reporting directly to the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary on the performance of its duties. Initially, the Office started with a Registrar, two Assistant Registrars, and two members of staff. The first Registrar was Hon. Peter Mutua Mulwa (now Judge of the High Court), assisted by the two Assistant Registrars, Hon. Caroline Kabucho (the current Registrar Magistrates’ Courts) and Hon. Kennedy Kandet (Registrar Employment & Labour Relations Court). Currently, the establishment consists of eighteen members of staff, including three Deputy Registrars: Deputy Registrar Kadhis Courts Hon. Ishaq Abdul Jabar, Deputy Registrar Magistrates’ Courts Hon. Catherine Mburu, and Deputy Registrar Small Claims Courts Hon. Susan Gitonga, and fourteen judicial staff of various cadres.

The Office operates under the overall supervision of the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary (CRJ) and serves as the principal link between the Judiciary’s administrative leadership and the individual Magistrates’ Kadhis and Small Claims Courts.

The Office ensures the effective coordination, management, and supervision of all Magistrates’ Kadhis and Small Claims Courts across the country. It provides strategic oversight in the areas of judicial operations, case management, registry administration, human resource deployment, and performance monitoring thus promoting accountability, standardizing administrative procedures, and improving service delivery.

As the largest tier of the court system, the Magistrates’ Kadhis and Small Claims Courts handle the majority of cases filed in Kenya, making the office central to the realization of accessible and efficient justice delivery.

Located at the Milimani Law Courts Annex in Nairobi, the Office of the Registrar, Magistrates’ Courts continues to serve as the heartbeat of Kenya’s subordinate court system — upholding judicial integrity, promoting efficiency, and ensuring that justice is not only done but also seen to be done in every corner of the Republic.