Judiciary to expand Shanzu court to expedite SGBV cases - CJ Koome

Chief Justice Martha Koome has said that the Judiciary is ready to expand the Shanzu law court and move it to Mtwapa in Kilifi county.

The new court, according to the CJ, will help bring justice closer to the victims of Sexual Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).

She said that the land which was acquired last year will have a court with all features constructed on it.

"That land is ready for this court to be moved there, to our partners, do not say that this is brick and mortar and that you do not support. This is something that we all need to work towards," she said.

She spoke during the launch of National Court Users Committee (CUC) for the specialised SGBV courts at Shanzu law court.

The CJ said that SGBV is like Covid-19 and therefore there is need to join hands and deal with it very firmly.

According to statistics issued by the World Health Organization, one out of every three women is at risk or has already been subjected to SGBV in Kenya and 18 per cent of young boys are at risk.

Koome said that the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) helped them to think of having SGBV courts across the country as a way of dealing with the problem.

Last year, the Judiciary opened an SGBV court at Shanzu law court which has so far received 159 cases out of which 27 have been heard.

“We started launching SGBV courts in Shanzu law court and I am ready and willing to launch another one in Nairobi,” she said.

“I know we suffered some setbacks because we were expecting some courts to be completed by the Nairobi metropolis whom partnered with us to build some courts in Embakasi, Kasarani, Dagoreti and Mathare, however, those courts are almost complete.”

CJ said that the Judiciary is committed to guarantee access to justice to all especially the vulnerable and the marginalised.

“SGBV cases must be given first priority because they cause trauma and in most cases the victims asked themselves why they have to visit courts every year yet they are not murderers therefore we have to do something as a society," she said.

“This is your court, the people of Mombasa, therefore you have to find solutions to the challenges that you face. Let us think together and find a solution because we have to address this challenge that we face as Kenyans."

The Shanzu law court CUC members were urged to support the public education activities in the region.

“We are here to support, if you want me to come and talk to chief barasas please write to me and I will come because we need to work together and reach out to vulnerable people in the Coast region," she said.

"We are talking about justice which everyone wants to experience so we must reach every household and tell them it is unacceptable for anybody to perpetrate SGBV crime."

She said they want to empower the public so that they can avoid pitfalls that bring them into conflict with the law.

“We must change the language and talk to our people in a way they will understand where we are coming from. Members of CUC will be our champions of implementing the best practices towards ensuring timely and expeditious disposal of cases tried in this court,” she said.