Vihiga Court Users Committee (CUC) members have resolved to work with synergy to ensure that the wheels of justice are driven to greater heights.
The rallying call was made yesterday during the Committee meeting held in a Vihiga hotel, where members saw the need for all the parties involved in a judicial system to join hands to ensure that justice is not compromised.
Vihiga Senior Resident Magistrate Rose Ndombi had complained about minimal cooperation given to the courts by investigation officers attached to Luanda Police station who she said have in the recent past failed to accompany witness statements to the courts.
Hon. Ndombi added that at times, the officers fail to obey court summons as required.
Vihiga Principal Magistrate Samson Ongeri who chaired the meeting said that the efforts of each individual involved in the judicial process cannot be ignored, adding that if one party fails to deliver as expected, justice will not be administered effectively.
Meanwhile, the committee members applauded a move by the judiciary to set up a high Court in Vihiga, saying that the initiative will help reduce the long distance residents used to travel to Kakamega or Kisumu, to seek justice.
However, the Vihiga High Court Deputy Registrar Mary Makena said at the meeting that more sensitization needs to be done for the public to understand about the Court’s existence and its functions, revealing that there are more people from the County who may still be traveling to Kakamega for the services.
She explained that only cases with active hearing dates and land cases are the ones to be handled in Kakamega.
“We have already started high court sessions in Vihiga and almost 50 per cent of files of the cases booked at Kakamega have been transferred here.
However, due to a shortage in the number of high court judges in the country, in Vihiga we are holding our sessions every third week of each month,” she said.
by Isaiah Nayika
