Chief Justice Martha Koome has broken her silence after the attack on various law courts across the country during the June 25 protests that led to irreversible losses and damage to valuable court assets.
While speaking after visiting the Kikuyu Law Courts, which was completely vandalised and destroyed after suspected goons broke into its premises and set it on fire, Koome condemned the separate incidents, terming them as an attack on the Constitution.
Koome, who was speaking on Thursday, June 26, stated that the incidents would severely compromise the Judiciary's ability to deliver justice, disrupt the administration of justice for ordinary Kenyans, and undermine ongoing efforts to expand access to justice, particularly for the marginalised and vulnerable.
“Courts are sacred spaces in a constitutional democracy, as they are the neutral grounds where disputes are resolved and rights upheld,” CJ Koome stated.
In the chaos witnessed yesterday, angry residents descended upon the Kikuyu Law Courts and the Deputy County Commissioner’s (DCC) office, where they managed to not only raze down the offices but also other machinery, such as tractors and tuk-tuks, which were parked on the premises.
The protesters also managed to break into some of the offices, which were fortunately spared by the fire, and caused mayhem by smashing windows and destroying documents and furniture.
Some police officers at the scene were seen rushing with buckets of soil and water, desperately throwing them into the buildings to put out the fire.
The aftermath of the blaze resulted in the complete closure of the court to facilitate investigations as well as renovations. During the inspection, Judiciary officials also disclosed that servers and registry boxes were completely destroyed by arsonists.
Aside from the Kikuyu Law Courts, the newly established Dagoretti Law Courts were also vandalised, and the old Ol Kalou Law Courts building, which is used for the storage of exhibits, was also broken into and damaged.
To that effect, the CJ disclosed that the Judiciary would work closely with security agencies to safeguard court infrastructure and protect the safety and well-being of all our judicial personnel.
This would seemingly mean that heightened security would be enforced around court spaces to prevent destruction of court property and protect judicial workers.
At the same time, Koome assured communities and court users in the affected areas that the Judiciary would work tirelessly to restore services and ensure continued access to justice without interruption.
Additionally, Koome commended the Judiciary personnel who were affected by the attacks but still continued to work under very difficult circumstances to ensure that normal services went on unabated.
