Arson at Bomet Law Courts Office Destroys Case Files, Disrupts Hearings

Bomet law courts office torched.
A screengrab collage of the Bomet Law Court office that was torched on Tuesday night, August 19, 2025.
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Kenyans.co.ke

A building at the Bomet Law Courts was, on Tuesday night, set on fire by unknown people.

Reportedly, the building housed crucial case files used during proceedings, leaving several people who had arrived for their court hearings to be left stranded.

Speaking at the court's grounds, the Chief Magistrate Esther Booke claimed that the arsonists had also tried to torch the magistrate's chambers.

"We went round and discovered that there was also an attempt to burn the magistrates' chambers. Something had been poured around the court 3 chambers because it is the first one," she relayed.

Entrance to law courts in Kenya
An undated photo of an entrance to a law court in Kenya.
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Twitter

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) chairperson, Bomet branch, Gideon Koech, thus called on the Judiciary to ensure security in all courts and avoid recurrence.

"We are calling for the judiciary to ensure that there are proper security mechanisms because we fear losing files due to such incidents in future, so there is a need for proper security features to be installed," he said.

In a video clip seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the lower part of the building's iron sheet wall can be seen completely burned through.

Although investigations into the matter have kicked off, no suspects have yet been identified or apprehended.

Two months ago, on June 25, a similar incident occurred at the Kikuyu Law Courts, where protestors stormed the premises and torched buildings, including the courts and other sub-county offices.

The protestors had joined the countrywide demonstrations to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the June 25, 2024, anti-finance bill protests that left dozens deceased.

While visiting the premises the following day, Chief Justice Martha Koome denounced the arson, saying that it constituted a terrorist attack

Subsequently, 37 people were arrested in connection with the same and charged with terrorism.

kikuyu law courts
The charred remains of the Kikuyu Law Courts on Thursday, June 26, 2025, which was subjected to arson attack during the June 25 protests.
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Judiciary
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