- Mung’aro said his administration has set aside Sh50 million to build a modern court in Mtwapa that will handle cases virtually.
- The governor said the court will not only deal with cases of the county but also the normal cases whenever there will be no cases to handle.
Image: ALPHONCE GARI
Kilifi County government has established a court to enforce its by-laws.
The county court is based at the Kilifi law courts and will be mandated to charge offenders who go against the by-laws set by the Members of the County Assembly.
Speaking during the official opening ceremony of the court, Governor Gideon Mung’aro said the Judiciary had allocated a magistrate who will be handling the cases.
Mung’aro said his administration has set aside Sh50 million to build a modern court in Mtwapa that will handle cases virtually.
“There will be no need for one to be physically present in court as you can be sentenced while in your home, construction work will begin soon, we have set a side Sh50 million for the work at Mtwapa,” he said.
The governor said the court will not only deal with cases of the county but also the normal cases whenever there will be no cases to handle.
Mung’aro said he had talks with the Chief Justice to open up county courts in all the wards, adding that in the areas which have no court buildings they will have mobile courts.
He said the mobile courts are meant to reduce the distance people cover to seek justice as a majority have to travel to Kilifi or Malindi, particularly the areas with many cases of Sexual Gender Based Violence.
“Most times, people do not report to the police station or seek legal action even if when one is raped or defiled. This is because of the cost implications they have to incur costs to Kilifi or Malindi to pursue justice,” he said.
He thank those who worked tirelessly to make the process of establishing the court a reality.
The governor said the court will be key in enhancing access to justice both directly in terms of expeditious determination of matters dealing with Kilifi county laws passed by the assembly and ascented into law.
He said they will begin a sensitisation programme for residents to be aware of the court.
Kilifi County Commissioner Josephat Biwott who was present during the event said the county court will help address many issues including decongesting prisons.
In Malindi, he said there have been many challenges, particularly in an environment where some hotel owners and locals dump waste recklessly.
“Hotel owners wake up in the morning with waste and instead of going to the right disposal points, they dump them anywhere along the road even though there are by-laws set up by the county Assembly that prohibits dumping of wastes carelessly,” he said.
Biwott said the county enforcement will receive the support they require from the security personnel in effecting the bylaws.
Kilifi Senior Principal Magistrate Justus Kituku said the role of the county courts is to enforce laws made by the MCAs.
“The Judiciary officially opened a register for the county courts in July 2023, so we have been waiting we are ready to serve your people
Henry Lughanje the Kilifi County Attorney, thanked the governor for allocating funds for the construction of the court which will help generate revenue for the county.
He said the court would bring to an end people littering, motorists obstructing and people paying rates among other by-laws.