The Supreme Judge said that there had been engagement with judges of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court and Courts of equal status training them on AJS, the need to change their mindset towards it, and the Constitutional mandate to respect, protect and transform the AJS initiatives.
"In particular, these engagements have proved critical in documenting and assessing the progress made to foster access to justice through entrenching a multi-door people centered justice; and giving tangible momentum to the AJS movement; suitably termed ‘Vuguvugu la AJS," Justice Wanjala said.
Justice Wanjala stated that the multi-door approach to justice encompassed in Social Transformation through Access to Justice (STAJ) encourages the use of AJS as the first port call in instances where it is most suited to resolve a wide array of disputes.
"By recognising and promoting the alternative justice mechanisms mostly used by Kenyans, this commitment has brought significant changes for citizens’ access to justice, and justice seekers have benefitted from meaningful home-grown solutions befitting the Kenyan context; demonstrated by the success stories in Isiolo, Mandera, Kitui, Kajiado, Narok and Nakuru," he said.
Speaking during the launch, Trans Nzoia County Governor George Natembeya noted that while the Court systems have their merit, they often fall short in addressing the root causes of crime and achieving true rehabilitation.
"This is why it became necessary to come up with alternative justice systems that provide a framework that focuses on healing, restitution and reintegration of offenders into the community," he said.
He said the elders stand as the custodians of the communities’ traditions and values and their role will not only be to guide and advise but to also bridge the gap between past wisdom and present challenges.
"Your insights into our traditional justice practices are invaluable as we explore how these practices complement our modern legal systems. By this integration, we have an opportunity to create a more inclusive and effective justice system," the Governor said.
Justice Joel Ngugi who is the Chair of the National Steering Committee on AJS said that the launch was a culmination of a most organic and invigorating socio-legal journey of truly returning the justice narrative to the people of Trans Nzoia.
"We are announcing today that communities can and must use AJS as the vehicle through which they can have important conversations about their societal issues of distribution of resources and power; and how they choose to frame their collective social preferences into public policies," Justice Ngugi said.
