Chief Justice David Maraga on Friday said magistrates courts would be constructed at sub-county level nationwide, as he encountered dilapidated conditions that judicial officers in Bomet are subjected to.
In Bomet, prefabricated courtrooms are small and congested while the buildings do not have electricity. “It is unfortunate that [some] people have had to travel hundreds of kilometres to access justice, sleeping on verandahs as they await their cases to be heard the following day,” he said during his courtesy call on Governor Joyce Laboso.
And judicial officers, including Resident Judge Martin Muya, do not have official residential houses, and it takes several months for a newly-posted judge or magistrate to get a befitting housing unit.
Lack of women and children holding cells and prisons in the county and lack of vehicles for the prisons department equally hamper delivery of services.
Justice Maraga said the issues are being looked into. “We are addressing the issues with the help of Members of Parliament. We realise that the funding from National Treasury has not been enough to construct adequate courtrooms in the country,” he said.
The Chief Justice said Sh50 million has been allocated for the construction of Narok High Court, which has stalled.
Governor Laboso said the building of a high court in her region has not materialised since 2014. “Bomet should be given a priority in the completion of the stalled high court, which has become a white elephant since 2014 when it was abandoned by a contractor for lack of funds,” she said.
Additionally, she called for tougher punishment for people found guilty of gender-based violence. “There is a high rate of defilement, rape and domestic violence cases, yet some magistrates are known for handing very lenient sentences to accused persons even when the evidence is enough to attract punitive sentences.”
In attendance were Deputy Governor Hillary Barchok, County Commissioner Geoffrey Omoding and County Assembly Speaker David Rotich.
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