By Robert Nyasato
KISII, KENYA: A shortage of courtrooms at the busy Kisii Law Courts is set to be alleviated in the next 20 months after the government allocated Sh10 million towards constructing a new building.
Currently, the court is served by three judges with only two courtrooms meaning one operates from the chambers.
The space shortage is acute with the five local magistrates dispense justice from two courtroom thus three of them operate from their chambers.
Speaking on Wednesday during a ground breaking ceremony for the building that will house six courtrooms, County Judge Justice Ruth Sitati judicial officers deployed at the court have been contending with extreme shortage of space.
“The new building will go a long way in expediting justice to our clients bearing in mind that we have been operating in extremely congested circumstances,” observed Justice Sitati.
Auto Star Agency which won the tender for the works has five months to accomplish the works giving the court a facelift. The judicial officers are expected to occupy the building by November, this year.
The court could have got a complete overhaul but a grant of Sh300 million from the US Embassy towards the project was put on hold due to what Justice Sitati explained as change of guard at the Judiciary.
Justice Sitati was flanked by her colleagues Justices Edward Mureithi, Samson Okongo and Chief Magistrate Ann Onginjo.
The Kisii Law courts serve Nyamira, Migori and Kisii counties and parts of Narok County with bulky of cases stemming from land disputes.
