Activities at Mombasa courts stall for hours after sewage pipes burst

Mombasa, Kenya: Operations at Mombasa courts stalled for hours after sewage pipe in the court cells busted and overflowed, blocking the inmates' access into the courts.

Court officials in trial courts were kept waiting for over four hours waiting for the effluent to be cleared and have the pipes fixed to allow inmates into the dock.

The inmates waiting to be arraigned before courts were vacated to an open space in the cells’ underground parking lot as the smelly waste was cleared out of the cells and corridors leading into the courts.

There was a strong sickening smell all over the cells as the sewage waste covered all the cells and corridors, blocking the way into the dock.

However, the court management, declined to comment on the issue, and said the problem was already being fixed.

According to one of the prison official who wished to remain unanimous, they found the pathetic situation in the morning when they brought in the prisoners from Shanzu Prisons.

“We have just come in with the inmates as usual only to find the cells and corridors flooded with the effluent and we cannot access the court rooms until the mess is cleared,” said the official.

The official said lack of water in the cells for the past one week contributed to the overflow.

He said the court has its own borehole water but could not explain why there was no water in the cell washrooms.

Prosecutors and advocates too complained of the delay in executing the court cases that were pending before the trial courts.

Officers from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution DPP reserved their comments and said that the situation is supposed to be addressed by the judiciary as they were both affected as all the other court users.

Advocate Edward Gichana said that he had been in the court corridors for hours since morning and there was no explanations being given for the delay.

“I came to court around 9 in the morning and up to now 11 am the trial court has not commenced and no one is bothering to explain to us what is happening,” said Gichana.

Fatuma Kasivalta who had her personal case before a trial court said the court in Mombasa was not serious in the manner they were conducting business.

Kasivalta said she had camped at the court corridors since 8 am in the morning but no services had been rendered to her.

“The court is not serious, they should change their operations, I was expecting to hear my case at 8 and now it is five hours gone without any case being heard,” said Kasivalta who questioned the security check at the gates.

Meanwhile the High Court, Principal Magistrate Courts and Resident Magistrate Courts continued prosecuting their cases with those offenders out on bail and those fresh arrests from the police cells.