4,000 court cases to be cleared in four days

More than 4,000 pending North Rift cases are set to be heard and determined in four days next month.
Chief Justice Willy Mutunga yesterday said the “justice@last” initiative would see the cases heard and determined between April 7 and 10 in the Environment and Land Court, the High Court and lower courts.

“The cases targeted under the Justice@last initiative will be uploaded to the Judiciary website and posted on notice boards in the respective courts,” said Dr Mutunga, who was hosted by Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago.

He spoke yesterday when he launched the justice drive at the Environment and Land Court in Eldoret.

Dr Mutunga, who was accompanied by Deputy Chief Justice Kalpana Rawal, said each magistrate would handle 100 cases a day for the four days.

CORRUPTION

He said the cases would be distributed as follows: Eldoret Magistrates Court (2,428), Kabarnet Principal Magistrates Court (40), Iten Principal Magistrates Court (75) and Eldama Ravine Principal Magistrates Court (55).

Dr Mutunga acknowledged that corruption was rife in the Judiciary but said the department had started implementing reforms to root out the vice.
He said corruption had made the public lose confidence in the Judiciary in the past.

The CJ, who also launched new premises for the Environment and Land Court in Eldoret, warned Judiciary staff engaging in corruption instead of serving the public that they would be dealt with firmly.

“It is shameful when I get reports that Judiciary staff are involved in corruption yet they are supposed to serve the public,” said the president of the Supreme Court.

He urged men to embrace gender equality and give women a chance to serve as elders.

Dr Mutunga said prisoners serving six months and below should be given non-custodial sentences and work under probation officers as one way of decongesting jails.

Yesterday’s event was also attended by North Rift magistrates, judges, members of the Law Society of Kenya’s North Rift branch, advocates and staff of the Judiciary.

At the same time, the CJ announced that 14 new magistrates would be sworn in this year as the Judiciary moves to address the backlog of cases countrywide.

He said the Judiciary was collecting data to ensure the officers would be sent to the most affected areas.

Dr Mutunga welcomed the devolved system of governance, which he said had seen vital government services being brought closer to the people.

“The core principle of the Constitution is equitable distribution of resources, which is transforming lives at the county level.

“The Judiciary will continue partnering with the 47 county governments to address case delays. It will also embrace traditional conflict resolution mechanisms,” he said.
Dr Mutunga urged all stakeholders to work with county governments to ensure the success of devolution.

The CJ called on governors to obey the rule of law and desist from disobeying court orders.

He called on the national government to release the Judiciary budget on time to enable the department to execute its constitutional mandate, including setting up of more courts, effectively.

Mr Mandago said land was a very emotive issue in North Rift, adding that it had sparked conflicts in the region. He said there were more than 500 land- related cases pending in the Environment and Land Court in Eldoret.

“The Council of Governors is planning to engage the national government for State Law Offices to be set up at the county level to fast-track such cases,” said Mr Mandago.

Reported by Wycliff Kipsang, Dennis Lubanga and Phylis Musasia