‘African courts have become ‘commodified’ – Kenyan professor
A Research Professor of Development Studies at the Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya, Prof. Karuti Kanyinga, has warned that courts across Africa have become “commodified”, saying judicial systems are increasingly vulnerable to bribery, political pressure and executive interference. Kanyinga said the erosion of judicial independence had made access to justice…
Prof. Karuti Kanyinga, a Research Professor of Development Studies at the University of Nairobi, has warned that African courts have become "commodified", with judicial systems increasingly vulnerable to bribery, political pressure, and executive interference. He argued that the erosion of judicial independence has led to access to justice becoming available mainly to the wealthy and politically connected, posing a major threat to democracy across the continent.
Kanyinga's remarks were made during the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue, where he delivered a keynote address on the theme "Beyond Elections: Can Political Parties and the Judiciary Save African Democracy?". He criticized the trend of political parties and the judiciary co-opting each other, stating that this has weakened the independence of the judiciary.
The scholar also blamed politicians for turning the judiciary into a political battlefield, where judges are subjected to intimidation, coercion, and bribery. Kanyinga called for measures to protect judges from political interference and depoliticize the judiciary. He further urged African leaders to rethink the continent's democratic model, emphasizing that elections alone have not eradicated poverty despite decades of democratic governance.
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