The Meru High Court Presiding Judge, Justice Alfred Mabeya has appealed to Parliamentarians to ensure the Judiciary is adequately funded for effective delivery of justice in the region.
Speaking to KNA on Wednesday after previous day’s celebration to mark the court’s success for the second year running, Justice Mabeya said it has not been easy owing to the limited infrastructure since the courts premises are squeezed.
“As you can see, our court is so squeezed, hence an urgent need for funding to establish a new High Court on land donated by the county government,” he appealed.
The Judge termed the success as a wake up call for them to deliver justice which is a basic human right.
Mabeya observed that the station is a busy one for both the lower and the higher courts and if they continue with the same tempo then justice in the region will be delivered within the timelines.
Lady Justice Lucy Mbugua in charge of the Environment and Land Case Court, cited Tigania and Igembe as areas with complex cases in Meru County, attributing the complexity to the incomplete land adjudication where residents have land, but with no titles.
She stated that her court had managed to reduce the conflicts with good case clearance and judges’ productivity for years running being ranked position three in 2016/17.
“What is so shocking is that the station that also serves Marsabit, Isiolo and Tharaka Nithi counties is now being placed under the 500 and below category. Meru region has been being dubbed as the Siberia of Kenya owing to the many complex land conflicts but things are changing. This success is for Nkirote (the common person of Meru) which means less conflicts in the villages which is healthy for our society,” she posed.
The two judges attributed the success to the cooperation among the staff and all other legal stakeholders with Justice Mbugua, noting that cases of missing files in the Environment and Land Case Court are a thing of the past.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Meru Bar Association Chair, Ken Muriuki said the entire Meru region legal fraternity is an elated lot reiterating that working in Meru is not easy.
“Meru people are inherently litigious. It is no mean fete last two years, since we have remained at the crescendo despite facing infrastructural challenges,” observed Muriuki.
He said the achievement was as a result of concerted efforts from the various stakeholders ranging from the police, prosecution, judiciary and all other court users.
By Richard Muhambe
