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Three judges based in Eldoret have been transferred in changes made by Chief Justice Martha Koome.
Presiding judge Reuben Nyakundi has been transferred to Vihiga county after serving in Eldoret for over four years. Nyakundi dealt with some of the long running land and succession disputes in Uasin Gishu.
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He is also credited with speedy handling of criminal cases and also advocating for the use of Alternative Justice Systems (AJS) to resolve most of the cases that had caused backlogs.
“At the end of the day we have to ask ourselves that why are we here. We have been given mandate to ensure we help our people get justice in all matters that come before us,” Justice Nyakundi said last Monday as he presided over the launch of the mediation week.
Also transferred are judges Robert Wananda and Emily Ominde both of whom have been mainly handling criminal matters.
Wananda announced in court that he would be moving to Nairobi and that the matters he has been handling would be taken over by another judge.
He spoke while presiding over the hearing of a murder case against Lawyer Abel Mogaka. The lawyer is accused of killing his colleague Calvin Musachi Ngaira in Eldoret seven years ago.
The case is now at the defense stage. Just before Mogaka took to the dock, Wananda announced that the session may be his final one.
“This matter may be handled by the incoming judge because I don’t think I will have time to come back here to handle it. It’s a court matter and any judge can handle it,” he said.
Defense lawyers led by Evans Miyenda asked that either a new judge starts handling the defense hearing afresh or Wananda agrees to handle the case to the end despite his transfer.
“It’s highly unlikely that I will have time to come back here for the hearing and I believe the judge who comes in will be better placed to take over,” Wananda said.
He however noted that the final decision would be made by the CJ if she will be able to allocate time for him to be going back to Eldoret to handle the case.
Wananda has also been handling the case on the murder of athlete Agnes Tirop. Several witnesses have testified even though key suspect Ibrahim Rotich went missing a year ago.
Justice Wananda had released Rotich on bond before he went missing. The court has since issued a warrant of arrest against him.
The court has since ordered that the hearing of the case proceeds in the absence of the suspect.
The transfers come barely two months after Eldoret chief magistrate Dennis Mikoyani was also transferred.
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