Access to justice in the North Rift region has improved significantly following the establishment of more courts and deployment of additional judicial officers, the Law Society of Kenya has said.
LSK chairman for North Rift branch Oscar Oduor said residents can now access court services more easily after the Judiciary established courts in both urban and rural areas.
“In terms of access to justice in this region, we are doing quite well unlike before because we have courts in areas like Moiben and Turbo where Kenyans can easily access the Judiciary,” Oduor said.
He said Eldoret now has more than seven judges, 12 magistrates and a Court of Appeal, which he said had helped reduce case backlog.
Oduor spoke as LSK embarked on an initiative aimed at empowering members to cope with work pressure and stress.
The society said records indicate that several lawyers have in the recent past died by suicide due to work-related pressure.
Lawyer Jacqueline Ingutiah, a member of the Judicial Service Commission representing LSK, said the adoption of e-filing had reduced interaction among members.
“With reduced interaction,
many lawyers go through a lot of issues on their own, but as LSK we think it’s
time we intervened to interact more and know each other better,” she said.
Oduor and Ingutiah spoke during the LSK North Rift Fun Day at Zion Gardens in Soy subcounty, Uasin Gishu county.
Ingutiah said more than 8,000 lawyers have been admitted to the bar since 2022, creating a need for stronger welfare and mentorship programmes within the profession.
“Such events are welcome.
The Advocates Benevolent Fund Association also has such programmes and we need
to ensure these welfare initiatives are inculcated into our practice through
well-intentioned and properly maintained mentorship programmes so that we get
to learn from each other, engage and build a stronger and resilient
profession,” she said.
“Behind lawyers in their robes, files and deadlines, we have families and live within communities.”
Oduor said advocates face considerable pressure in the course of their work and need support to manage stress.
“Lawyers are human beings and go through a lot of issues including stress which we have to handle together through such welfare activities,” he said.
The country marked Katiba
Day on August 27, which Ingutiah described as a milestone worth celebrating.
She said the
Constitution’s deeper significance lies in its promise about the relationship
between citizens and public power.
“The Constitution
transforms public office from a source of privilege into an obligation of
service and accountability,” she said.
Ingutiah said
constitutional commissions and independent offices should not be viewed as
inconvenient appendages to the Executive, Judiciary or Parliament.
“Their capacity to question, investigate,
advise, challenge and sometimes disagree with those exercising power is not
evidence of institutional dysfunction; it is part of the constitutional
design,” she said.
