This archive report was first published on 24 August 2020.
As the country continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Judiciary has been working on modalities to reduce the backlog of cases occasioned by the closure of courts.
According to the Judiciary Chief Registrar, Anne Amadi, the service week scheduled for September will see judges handling criminal appeals through virtual courts hear and conclude most of the matters, thereby reducing the number of criminal cases at the Milimani Law Courts.
Amadi noted that the number of criminal cases at the Milimani Law Courts has increased by 16 per cent as a result of the initial down-scaling of operations from mid-March to June.
Since March, 19 court stations have reported cases of Covid-19, leading to seven of them being closed to allow for testing and quarantine of the affected staff.
“We are experiencing some challenges with the hearing of criminal cases where witnesses need to be physically in court, but courts are doing their best. We have provided tents and are even using other open spaces outside the courtrooms to reduce chances of infection,” Amadi said.
Amadi also revealed that plea-taking is being conducted at police stations that have video link facilities to avoid physical contact while ensuring the administration of justice is not hindered.
As part of efforts to protect court users, the Judiciary will fumigate 131 courts and 10 tribunals at least once a month to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
After concerted push by the Law Society of Kenya, the judiciary reopened courts in June.
