Chief Justice (CJ) Martha Koome has commissioned a multi-agency team that will be responsible for expeditious and sustainable resolution of land disputes in Nairobi City County.
The Nairobi Land Justice Working Group that comprises all key players in the land justice sector is tasked with identifying the root causes and addressing systemic and endemic challenges in the administration of land justice.
The group is also expected to engage with the public and stakeholders to secure lasting solutions to land disputes and foster a prosperous and harmonious future.
The Working Group will be expected to recommend appropriate interventions; formulate guidelines to be implemented to expedite land justice through adoption of innovative and effective approaches to justice including Alternative Justice Systems and Court Annexed Mediation.
The CJ who presided over the unveiling said the initiative will directly be aligned with the goals of the Social Transformation through Access to Justice (STAJ) blueprint, particularly its target that no case should stay in court for more than three years.
She said the group will examine root causes of delays, streamline case management processes and adopt innovative justice delivery mechanisms.
This, she noted, will significantly expedite resolution of land cases, reduce backlog and bring lasting solutions to land justice challenges.
She added that the establishment of the Land Justice Working Group is a testament to the commitment of the Environment and Land Court (ELC), aimed at expediting land justice in Nairobi.
“This initiative goes beyond the conventional boundaries, seeking to foster an inclusive, participatory, accountable, and responsive justice system that truly serves the aspirations of our people, including the most marginalized and vulnerable among us,” highlighted Koome.
Lauding ELC’s novel initiative to securing land justice, Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu said she will be paying keen attention to the outcomes of the Working Group, not only because they will be transformative but, importantly, they could form the benchmark for its expansion to other Counties and to other jurisdictional areas and courts.
She urged the team to embed a system of performance measurement and management that will enable them to track and improve their performance and achieve tangible results.
In her remarks, Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works Housing and Urban Development Alice Wahome pledged the support of her Ministry to ensure that the goals of the working group are met and land justice is achieved to save people, especially the elderly from suffering injustice.
Nairobi City County is plagued with issues of double allocation, encroachment of public land, mix-up during survey, adverse possession claims, lack of zoning and enforcement, informal settlements, renewal of leases and fraud hence creating a complex web of land injustice which is difficult to navigate outside a multi-sectoral collaborative approach.
The Working Group which is a brainchild of the Nairobi ELC Court Users Committee draws its membership from ELC, Nairobi City County, Ministry of Lands, the Attorney General, the National Land Commission and Ministry of Interior and National Administration among others.
By Michael Omondi
