Chief Justice Martha Koome, on Wednesday, June 7, expressed her displeasure with a contractor who fled a Mombasa court project site after failing to complete the work on time.
The contractor was awarded the Ksh200 million contract to develop new Mombasa Regional Law Courts in 2019.
While addressing the media during the Judges' Conference in Mombasa, CJ Koome stated that the contractor's actions were unacceptable and that he ought to be held accountable.
"When members of the Judicial Service Commission visited the site, they raised issues that the contractor needed to attend to before the building could be commissioned for use.
"However, the contractor went underground even before addressing the concerns by those who assessed the building," Koome stated.
Koome complained that the contractor's actions dampened the spirit of justice and considerably derailed the Judiciary, which was already grappling with financial constraints.
"This is unacceptable. The contractor has failed to complete the work on time and has since fled the site. This is a clear case of breach of contract," Koome stated.
The visibly exasperated Chief Justice also revealed that she was already in talks with another contractor tasked with completing the projects.
Nonetheless, the relevant authorities were tracking the first contractor to hold him accountable for absconding his duty.
At the same time, the Judiciary invited the National Construction Authority (NCA) to assess the project and ensure it remains viable.
The Kenyan Judiciary budget for 2023/2024 is set at Ksh22.9 billion. This represents a 10.5 per cent increase from the previous financial year's budget of Ksh18.8 billion.
President Ruto added the Judiciary Ksh4.1 billion in line with Kenya Kwanza’s pledge to strengthen and institutionalise judicial independence.
The money will aid CJ Koome in improving infrastructure and access to justice and increasing the number of judges and magistrates.
