This archive report was first published on 8 September 2019.
Published on September 8, 2019, a report by Nairobi News exposed the unhygienic conditions at Kiambu Law Courts, where magistrates and staff are forced to share a single toilet.
The Judicial staff members are left with no choice but to queue to use the toilet, making them uncomfortable when other staff and members of the public spot them pacing around when the facility is engaged.
Further, the sewage system of the staff toilet is faulty and keeps blocking, emitting a foul smell into the nearby premises.
Members of the public who troop to the courts in droves have also not been spared the agony, with only a single pit latrine available, comprising of one male toilet and a urinal and another for female clients. There is no provision for sanitary facilities for people living with disabilities.
Worse still, the toilets are not connected to the sewer line and have no curtain, making it embarrassing to use. They are also unhygienic.
A letter written by the station head Patriciah Gichohi on February 5, 2018, requested funds to carry out the construction of ablution blocks and a canopy to cover the ramp and stairs to the new twin courts, registry, and waiting bay and benches outside each of the twin courts.
According to a report seen by KNA, Kiambu law courts received a report from NEMA dated May 26, 2017, concerning the state of affairs at the institution, where the director made a raft of recommendations that are yet to be implemented.
NEMA recommended that the pit latrines for public use be converted into water closets, provided with two water closets for women and one for men gents plus a urinal.
The report further recommended that the eight water closets used by suspects, prisoners, and prison wardens in the cells be provided with cast iron flushing cisterns or any other quality hardy enough to withstand mishandling.
