Judicial officers and members of the public have called for the establishment of a new law court in Githurai, Kiambu county, to offer better litigation services.
The area, which falls under Ruiru constituency, is served by the Ruiru law courts, which residents want expanded by creating a new branch in the populous Githurai subcounty.
Led by area MP Simon King'ara, residents and members of the Law Society of Kenya expressed the need to open a new court to handle small claims cases and petty offences.
The call came during an open day organised by Court Users Committee for members of the general public. The occasion, which was graced by Thika presiding judge Florence Muchemi, also marked the court's fifth anniversary.
King'ara said the Ruiru court, which his office helped to establish, has greatly helped minimise land disputes and other legal matters and pledged to disburse Sh1.5 million from the National Government Constituencies Development Fund kitty towards its expansion.
“The population in Ruiru constituency is too high and there’s need to establish a new court in Githurai so that residents can access judicial services with ease. We have also embarked on the process of expanding the Ruiru law so as to serve members of the public conveniently,” he said.
Area LSK chairman Daniel Gachau commended the Ruiru court for clearing backlog of cases and easing pressure from neighbouring courts of Thika and Kiambu since its inception five years ago.
“So far, the court has handled 26,000 case files and this has seen expedition of justice. Again, Ruiru is synonymous with land disputes and some of the cases had dragged for many years in the Thika and Kiambu courts until the Ruiru court was established five years ago. These disputes are now being solved within a short period of time,” he said.
Similar sentiments were expressed by the Ruiru chief magistrate Joseph Were who said the establishment of a new law court in Githurai.
“Establishment of a new court in Githurai would also ease the backlog at our Ruiru law courts and ensure that litigants access judicial services on time and with ease,” he said.
Business people and residents, led by Joseph Kariuki, hailed the role played by the Ruiru court in resolving legal matters.
In her address, Justice Muchemi emphasised the importance of alternative justice system (AJS) or alternative dispute resolution (ADR), which she said goes a long way to save time and expenses incurred through ordinary litigation.
The judge said the Judiciary plans to establish panels comprising village elders to help solve disputes through the AJS and ADR system.
