The Judiciary on Tuesday, March 11, issued a statement following an incident in the afternoon where a man set himself on fire outside the Supreme Court building in protest over a protracted court battle.
In a statement, the Judiciary confirmed that the man, who sustained serious injuries in the shocking incident, would be questioned by the police to determine the motive behind his actions.
Detailing the man's activities leading up to the incident, the Judiciary revealed that he was believed to be protesting against delayed justice and had been armed with petrol, which he used to set himself on fire.
“Today at about 9:30 am, a man, whose identity has not been conclusively established, while walking along City Hall Way, stopped outside the Supreme Court building. He was carrying some documents and a bottle with a liquid,” the Judiciary stated.
"While standing on the street pavement, he placed the documents on the ground, doused himself in the liquid believed to be petrol, and pulled out a lighter, setting himself on fire," they added.
Police officers guarding the Supreme Court reacted swiftly to the situation, rescuing the man by extinguishing the flames. A joint effort by the Nairobi County Government and the officers saw him rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital.
With regard to the man's grievance with the courts, the Judiciary stated that it would investigate the matter further to establish his primary concerns.
"The Judiciary is taking a keen interest in the matter, with a view to establishing if his drastic action could be linked to a court case," it remarked.
The man’s actions came as the Judiciary faces a huge case backlog with many individuals and entities increasingly growing frustrated at the Martha Koome-led institution over the speed of hearing cases.
The backlog of cases saw the Court of Appeal record 13,331 pending matters as of May 2024, something that has added fuel to the fire of public criticism.
A report released later in the year in November also saw a rise in the overall case backlog in the Judiciary by 1.2 per cent with the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Magistrates' Courts and Small Claims Court recording the highest number of pending cases.
The report stated that pending cases across the Judiciary rose from 625,643 to 649,310 during the period under review.
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC), in an attempt to reduce the backlog, pushed for changes to the Judicature Act, increasing the maximum number of judges across judicial stations.
