Machakos, Meru courts ranked the best in case clearance

For the second year running, Meru Law Courts emerged the best for speedy hearing and determination of cases,  with a caseload of over 1,000. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Machakos Law Courts posted a composite score of 3.01, narrowly beating Meru (3.11) and Nakuru (3.17).
  • The three had a 100 per cent rating and were described as “very good” for their speedy dispensation of justice within the 360 days under review.
  • For the second year running, Meru Law Courts emerged the best for speedy hearing and determination of cases,  with a caseload of over 1,000.

Machakos Law Courts has emerged the best in a countrywide ranking of service delivery and performance management by the Judiciary.

The court posted a composite score of 3.01, narrowly beating Meru (3.11) and Nakuru (3.17).

The rating was based on the speed of hearing cases and management factors.

A report released Friday said the three courts had a 100 per cent rating and were described as “very good” for their speedy dispensation of justice within the 360 days under review.

Kiambu emerged fourth with 99 per cent while Kisumu was fifth and was followed by Embu, Kakamega, Busia, Kerugoya and Eldoret in that order, in the ranking of the top 10 courts in the country.

MERU HEARINGS

For the second year running, Meru Law Courts emerged the best for speedy hearing and determination of cases,  with a caseload of over 1,000.

It had 75 per cent of criminal cases heard and determined within 360 days of filing.

Kisumu registered a 63 per cent success rate to emerge second, and was followed by Kiambu with 60 per cent.

The Meru court also emerged the best in clearance of civil cases, recording an overwhelming 353 per cent success rate.

Nakuru followed closely with 273 per cent.

The Meru court, headed by Justice Alfred Mabeya, also registered the highest merit productivity of judges, achieving 372 cases during the review period.

The High Court’s Environment and Lands Court shone for the second year in a row, with a productivity of 307 cases, to beat nine other courts ranked in the evaluation report.

MERU DISPUTES

The Meru court only has six courtrooms, four judges and seven magistrates.

The court registers at least 120 new murder cases annually and currently has a backlog of about 350 such cases.

In a ruling last December, Meru Resident Judge Alfred Mabeya said majority of the murder cases resulted from land disputes.

“The delay in undertaking the process of land adjudication and having titles issued in Igembe has been a cause of heightened and incessant disputes that sometimes have ended fatalities,” he observed.

“The absence of titles has not only fueled fraud and false claims over land, among other ills, but has also been a cause.”