The courts are recording an upsurge in cases related to climate change, a judge has said.
This is due to increased public awareness and a rise in the number of organisations dealing with climate change.
Speaking during a training organised by Hakijamii and WWF, Judge Jackie Mogeni said that both the national and county governments have already enacted the climate change law.
She said that the legislation seeks to address legal gaps in tackling climate-related issues while enforcing mitigation measures.
Mogeni, the president of the Pan-African Association of Judges on Environment, Land and Labour, said the training will enhance legal, scientific and policy developments in climate change and biodiversity.
“PAAJELLA will soon launch a knowledge management portal that will consolidate all decisions made by its members in order to enhance learning for judges and citizens,” she said.
Judge Millicent Odemu of Nakuru law courts said there was a need to raise more awareness in communities regarding carbon credits that have attracted multibillion-shilling deals.
She spoke in Naivasha during a training for 51 judges of the Environment and Land Court on climate governance, biodiversity conservation and economic, social and cultural rights.
“The issue of carbon credit initiatives is a thorny one that involves huge amounts of money and there is a need to create more awareness to help citizens approach and petition courts on emerging issues involving climate and carbon credit,” Odemu said.
Hakijamii legal consultant Conrad Bosire said the training for judges will equip them with necessary knowledge to build positive jurisprudence and judicial decisions on climate change and biodiversity.
He termed climate change as a key issue that has devastated communities, adding that the recent floods led to loss of lives, displacement and destruction hence the need to raise awareness to build community resilience.
Bosire said the country's laws and regulations coupled with frequent training would enable judges to tackle complex issues in climate change and deliver climate justice that will lead to sustainable livelihoods for communities.
Justice Ochato Kebira of the Employment and Labour Relations Court said the training will prepare judges to address emerging labour issues such as redundancies as a result of transition to the green economy.
