The judiciary has opened a new high court in Kwale town as part of its efforts to make justice delivery accessible to the people in the coastal county.
The commissioning of the new ultramodern high court complex was graced by Mombasa presiding High Court Judge Lady Justice Olga Sewe, Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani, Kwale Woman Representative Fatuma Masito, Lady Justice Addraya Dena Presiding Judge Environment and Land Court Kwale and County Commissioner Meru Mwangi.
The inauguration of the Kwale High Court was also witnessed by the religious leaders, members of the community, judicial staff and the general public.
In her remarks during the inauguration ceremony Lady Justice Sewe encouraged the general public in Kwale and adjoining areas to make use of the new facility.
Lady Justice Sewe termed the launch of high court as a gateway to accessing justice which in the long run will provide social justice, create awareness and bridge the gap between the defenseless who could not access legal services.
She said the new building is impressive with modern amenities and infrastructure.
“The high court is here to serve all of us so let us have confidence in the court processes and make use of this new facility,” she said adding that the establishment of the new court was in fulfilment of the judiciary’s vision to bring justice to the doorsteps of the citizenry.
Justice Sewe says the new court also forms part of measures by the judiciary to ease the burden on court users in Kwale who travel all the way to Mombasa to access justice.
“The judiciary is determined to devolve its services further to the grassroots in a bid to ensure that justice will be accessed at the doorsteps of the citizens,” she said.
Justice Sewe said the new high court building symbolizes the rule of law and that the judicial staff is expected to dispense justice without fear or favour, affection or ill will.
She said the new high court will help enhance justice delivery in Kwale and beyond and will be handling cases within the coastal county and surrounding communities.
Justice Sewe further said that the high court would also handle civil, commercial, succession, election petitions and criminal cases and would bring relief to the police and the correctional services that used to transport suspects to Mombasa.
Speaking at the ceremony Governor Achani expressed gratitude to the judiciary for the construction of the new court in her county noting that it would impact the image of Kwale town as hitherto area residents were served by the courts in Mombasa.
The county boss said she is grateful to the judiciary for their commitment to decentralizing justice delivery across the country.
Achani advised area residents not to take the law into their own hands but report all cases to the police for due process to ensure fairness.
Achani encouraged the judiciary to continue promoting the cause of justice and equity so that the poor would be protected.
She also encouraged court users to explore the Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism (ADR) rather than go through the litigation process and congesting the judiciary.
Achani, a lawyer by profession noted that the use of ADR will go a long way to improve the turnaround time of cases as ADR is faster, cheaper, easier and less acrimonious to the parties involved.
The main alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods available in Kenya are negotiation, conciliation, mediation and arbitration.
There is no mandatory requirement for parties to commercial litigation to submit to ADR proceedings.
By Hussein Abdullahi
