The Judiciary has received a major boost after Kiambu County donated a 10-acre piece of land for the expansion of Thika law courts.
The land is part of the 695-acre parcel that was surrendered last year by multinational fruit processor Delmonte Ltd., where the county also plans to establish an Export Processing Zone (EPZ), government offices, and affordable housing projects.
Governor Kimani Wamatangi made the announcement during an open-day court forum organised by the Thika High Court, the Environmental and Land Court, and the Chief Magistrate’s Court to sensitise the public on the services offered by the Judiciary and stakeholders.
Wamatangi said the land will be enough to facilitate the construction of better and more modern facilities to enhance service delivery.
‘I gave you an offer of 10 acres for the construction of modern courts on the Delmonte land. We have enough land there that you can use to modernise your infrastructure. I know it might be far from the town, but it will be worth it, as we pla
n to have Thika elevated into a smart city in a few months’ time. You will need that space,’ Wamatangi said.
This came as court officials led by Chief Magistrate Stella Atambo decried infrastructure challenges caused by inadequate space.
The court serves Thika, Gatundu, and Ruiru sub-counties and received its first High Court Judge in November last year.
Eric Ogolla, the Principal High Court Judge who represented Chief Justice Martha Koome at the function, decried the extreme underfunding of the Judiciary.
Ogolla called on budget makers to consider increasing the budgetary allocation for the Judiciary to facilitate quality service delivery.
In the 2024-2025 budget estimates, the Judiciary has been allocated Sh24.64 billion.
Justice Florence Muchemi, the presiding Judge of the newly established Thika High Court, said they have started hearing most of the cases that were previously being heard in Kiambu.
Justice Muchemi called for an additional judge to cater for the growing jurisdiction of appeals from
the Thika, Gatundu, Ruiru, and Kamwangi law courts.
Atambo, on her part, noted that with technological advancements in the administration of justice, such as the introduction of e-filing, backlogs have reduced, service delivery has been enhanced, and the time taken to prosecute cases has been reduced.
Wamatangi made the donation days after donating and renovating another facility that is currently housing Thika High Court.
Source: Kenya News Agency