Judiciary to put up court councils, says Chief Registrar Anne Amadi

Justice and Legal Affairs House team Vice-Chair Priscillah Nyokabi (right) shakes hands with Kituo Cha Sheria Executive Director Gertrude Angote as Judiciary Chief Registrar Anne Amadi (centre) looks on at a Nairobi hotel.  [Photo: Collins Kweyu/Standard]

By Margaret Kanini

Kenya: Poor Kenyans will soon have the opportunity to represent themselves in court, the Judiciary has announced.

Judiciary Chief Registrar Anne Amadi said the Government’s strategic plan towards the achievement of this will include the establishment of court councils, in an effort to help those who want to represent themselves in court proceedings.

Ms Amadi said this will aid the already clogged court systems in ensuring justice for all is achieved.

“When we train people to represent themselves in the courts, they will also train others and this will ensure a fast and cheap way of acquiring justice,” she said.

Speaking in Nairobi yesterday during a meeting convened by Kituo Cha Sheria, the Chief Registrar said she is aware that most Kenyans cannot afford lawyers to represent them in courts.

Amadi also admitted that there is a shortage of High Court judges in Kenya, saying that some have already been appointed but not yet sworn into office.

Hearing dates

She also said the course lists for this year are already full, so no Kenyan will be able to get a date for hearings if they needed one.

“There are too many cases and very few judicial officers to handle them,” noted Amadi.

Other strategies include increment of the high courts in Kenya. She said the Government plans to add 24 more courts to the existing 23 so that there will be at least one high court in each of the 47 counties.

Amadi said these plans initiated in 2012 only have two more years remaining to be implemented. She added that courts will be equipped with electronic systems that will speed up delivery of services and improve the quality of legal services offered to Kenyans.