There was drama on Monday when lawyers locked the gate to the Eldoret High court over alleged delays in getting their court cases heard and determined.
The 200 lawyers protested the lack of judges in the courts stating that three judges were transferred but replacing them was being dragged leading to a pile-up in cases.
Led by North Rift Law Society of Kenya (LSK) chairman Zephaniah Yego, the advocates piled pressure on CJ David Maraga and the Judicial Service Commission to have more court officers to the station.
According to the lawyers, the lack of court staff had caused a huge backlog of cases.
"Over 4,000 cases are pending in courts in this town due to lack of judges and magistrates. Many Kenyans are denied justice due to this delay,” Yego stated.
[caption caption="Eldoret Protest on Monday"]
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The Chairman stated that Eldoret High Court Resident Judge Kanyi Kimondo was transferred two months ago and replaced with Justice Hellen Omondi.
“It is true that Justice Hellen Omondi has reported here but we are told she has requested for two weeks to go back to Homa Bay and clear her cases, which implies that we will have no judges in Eldoret for the next one week.
"It has become a habit to transfer judges and magistrates from this region without replacements. This habit must stop," he explained.
A representative from a law firm in Eldoret expressed frustration in the delays in court cases stating that their business was gravely affected.
"Judges have not been sitting and the cases not been moving. Since the year began, the courts have not been there; either the judges are on sick leave, or the cases are on recess and that is a big problem," the lawyer told Kenyans.co.ke.
He added that the delays in courts had affected their clients and business and "a succession case waiting for a mention can take months waiting for the court diary to be opened."
Here is the video courtesy of Citizen TV:
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