Disabled people in agony after lifts at Nyeri Law Courts fail

A man using clutches walks down the stairs at the Nyeri Law Courts on March 25, 2019. The lifts at the building stalled in October 2018 and the Judiciary has been urged to repair them to save the elderly and the disabled from the agony of using stairs. PHOTO | JOSEPH WANGUI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

By  Siago Cece

Correspondent

Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Most of the elderly court users skip court sessions if they fail to get people to help them up the stairs.
  • The elevators stalled only two years after they were commissioned.
  • Among the court rooms which are difficult to access is the Court of Appeal and the High Court.

A non-governmental organisation has called on the Judiciary to provide ramps and elevators at the Nyeri Law Courts for use by those confined to wheelchairs and the disabled.

The Purity Elderly Care Foundation, in a letter to Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Anne Amadi, said that it has become increasingly difficult to access the court rooms at the courthouse for those who cannot use stairs.

Also affected by the lack of elevators are the sick, the elderly and those using walking devices.

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CARRIED

“The elderly living with disabilities and the sick have difficulty in accessing the court and many have to be carried, stripping them of their dignity,” said the organisation’s director Joyce Kairu.

Most of the elderly court users skip court sessions if they fail to get people to help them up the stairs.

Sometimes they have to seek for help from court orderlies.

TECHNICAL HITCHES

The organisation complained that the elevators at the three-storey building stopped working in October 2018 due to technical hitches and are yet to be repaired.

A notice posted on the ground floor of the building and signed by Chief Magistrate Wendy Kagendo, who is the head of the courthouse, indicates the elevator is not functioning.

The notice dated October 1, 2018 and addressed to all court users, indicates that the malfunctioning of the elevator was caused by a technical hitch.

“Due to technical hitches, the lift shall remain closed until future notice. Kindly bear with us,” the notice reads.

AFFECTED

The elevators stalled only two years after they were commissioned by Ms Amadi and Attorney-General Kihara Kariuki, who was then was the president of Court of Appeal.

Among the court rooms which are difficult to access is the Court of Appeal and the High Court, including the Lands and Labour divisions, and three magistrate courts.

Those seeking to access the registries, the procurement and accounts offices have to use the stairs.

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