Hire expert to end row on judges’ offices, CJ urged
The Elgon Place at the Upper Hill where the court of Appeal is supposed to relocate. The judges have however declined to move terming the place as a health hazard due to the numerous masts that have been erected next to the building. East Africa Law Society wants Chief Justice Mutunga to commission an independent expert to end the stalemate over new offices. PHOTO|JENNIFER MUIRURI.
What you need to know:
- East Africa Law Society (EALS) president James Aggrey Mwamu said that two contradictory reports on the safety of the Elgon Place building in Nairobi, where the judges are supposed to move, were causing confusion.
- The Communications Commission of Kenya declared the multi-storeyed building safe but the Radiation Protection Board expressed reservations.
A regional lawyers’ organisation wants Chief Justice Willy Mutunga to commission an independent expert to end the stalemate over new offices for Court of Appeal judges.
East Africa Law Society (EALS) president James Aggrey Mwamu said that two contradictory reports on the safety of the Elgon Place building in Nairobi, where the judges are supposed to move, were causing confusion.
“Two reports in the public domain over health risks caused by telecommunication masts next to the building (Elgon Place) where the Court of Appeal should relocate in Upper Hill caused the stalemate,” said Mr Mwamu.
Expressed reservations
The Communications Commission of Kenya declared the multi-storeyed building safe but the Radiation Protection Board expressed reservations.
The Court of Appeal judges have refused to move to the building, arguing that intense exposure to the telecommunication equipment, which releases radioactive emissions, could lead to sickness and even death.
“The Chief Justice should not snub the fundamental health concerns raised by the judges,” said Mr Mwamu. Even the Law Society of Kenya raised the red flag over dangers posed by the masts, the EALS president added.
