• Maraga said they will be working with governors to avail land for courts
• He promised to ensure Bomet High Court is completed saying it would be insensible if it was ignored yet a huge amount of money had already been spent on it.
Image: FILE
The Judiciary will put up a magistrate’s court in each of the subcounties in the country to ease the burden the residents have had in traveling long distances to attend their cases, Chief justice David Maraga has said.
Maraga said he was aware of the agony parties have had for long in travelling long distances to file or attend to mention or hearing of their cases in court which he said are situated some distances away.
“We understand the situation Kenyans are facing in pursuing for justice…we want to take our services to the grassroots level by ensuring law courts are constructed in each of our subcounties,” he said.
The Chief Justice spoke when he paid a courtesy call to Bomet Governor Joyce Laboso at her office on Friday.
Maraga, however, said such will depend on the statistics of cases being filed or reported from a particular region.
He said they will also work with governors to avail land for the purpose.
“We shall need assurance from the county chiefs that lands of two to three acres with valid title deeds are available before we commence the process,” he said.
Governor Laboso assur ed the Chief Justice that her administration was ready to support it on the process, urging him to give a priority to the county on the matter as there were many cases on sexual and alcoholism in the region.
She also called on the CJ to ensure the stalled Sh800 million High Court in Bomet is revived to ensure expeditious handling of cases.
Maraga promised to ensure it was completed saying it would be insensible if it was ignored yet a huge amount of money had already been spent on it.
“We have no choice but to complete it…I will be raising it with the national council of administrative justice so that funds are set for it," he said.
Present during the meeting also were county commissioner Geoffrey Omoding and deputy county commissioner Henry Metto.
Maraga also said he will hold talks with the prisons department to have a remand prison put up in Bomet to save on logistical issues and ensure timely hearing of cases.