The Chief Justice (CJ), David Maraga has raised concerns over the alarming number of young Kenyans in prison for serious offences like rape and defilement.
Justice Maraga who was speaking in Nyamira County when he opened the High Court of Nyamira lamented the rate at which young offenders were finding themselves in the wrong arm of the law with shameful ‘offences’.
“A high number of prisoners flocking our prisons and cells are generally youths who have committed serious offences ranging from rape to defilement leaving one wondering what has befallen our young generations that drives them to defiling or raping children. It’s very painful to see such promising lives wasted in prisons,” said Maraga.
The CJ however, warned rape offenders that the law would not be bent on their cases and that they must serve their full term in jail to serve as a lesson to others.
“We are not going to be linient on these offenders who are making lives of our young children miserable, the law will never bend on these people and that if convicted, one must complete his term of jail so that it is a lesson to others,” affirmed Maraga.
The CJ spoke on the same day that a Chief Magistrate (CM), Martha Mutuku at the Milimani court slapped two rugby players with 15 years jail term for gang rape. The two, Mahaga Olaba, 23, and Frank Wanyama, 24, were found guilty of raping a 24 year old woman on her birthday last year.
Maraga added that more Courts would be built in every county to bring service delivery close to the residents and clear backlog of cases which have dragged in courts for a long time.
“We are bringing services closer to the residents by building more courts across the country for at least every county to have its own High Courts to fast address the backlog of cases which might have dragged in the Judiciary for some time, this is an indication the Judiciary is committed to address the issue of cases taking a long time to be determined and completed,” he added.
The CJ was accompanied by Judicial officers among them Justice David Machanja, a Commissioner at the Judicial Service Commission and Judge at the Kisii High Court, the Chief Registrar of Judiciary, Ms. Anne Amadi and a couple of serving Judges and Advocates.
By Deborah Bochere/Dan Nyamanga
