Marsabit County got a major boost towards access to justice as Chief Justice Martha Koome launched the Alternative Justice Systems and Court Annexed Mediation which will help residents get access to justice.
Koome said that these initiative would not only bring services closer to the people, but also significantly reduce the cost and time of resolving disputes.
She said the vast size of the county underscores the critical need to ensure justice is accessible to every resident, no matter how remote.
She thanked the County Government of Marsabit for allocating land in five locations for permanent court facilities and urged for continued support to overcome budgetary constraints hindering the Judiciary’s progress in construction.
“I therefore urge the county government and other local leaders to explore ways of offering further support and collaboration with the Judiciary to help us realize the goal of putting in place court infrastructure in these five locations. Permanent court facilities in these remote areas will significantly reduce the travel burden on litigants and law enforcement officers, thereby improving access to justice,” she said.
Koome said the Court-Annexed Mediation (CAM) programme has yielded impressive results since its pilot launch in 2016 saying it has resolved 21,451 cases out of the 23,260 referred, unlocking approximately Ksh61.1 billion into the economy.
“This initiative has significantly reduced litigation costs while promoting amicable resolutions, especially in business and family disputes,” she said.
She also added that the launch of the Marsabit Court-Annexed Mediation Registry aims to replicate this success locally, providing residents with access to mediation services tailored to their needs.
The CJ also launched the Marsabit County Alternative Justice Systems (AJS) County Action Plan, Model, and Suite. Recognising the value of traditional dispute resolution mechanisms, she emphasized the enduring relevance of culturally rooted systems.
“The Marsabit AJS Model recognizes the invaluable role of elders and community practitioners in resolving disputes, fostering peace, and promoting coexistence among the fourteen communities living in Marsabit. It addresses pressing issues such as land disputes, petty offences, intercommunity conflicts, and boundary disputes,” she said
She called on local leaders, stakeholders, and residents to embrace the initiatives, urging them to resolve inter-communal disputes through AJS mechanisms.
“We expect AJS elders and practitioners to be peace champions, fostering the peaceful coexistence of Marsabit’s diverse communities,” she said, emphasizing that sensitive cases, such as child defilement, must be referred to formal judicial channels.
Speaking at the same function, Marsabit Governor Mohamed Ali noted that a key feature of the traditional justice system is that it focuses more on righting the wrongs done to a person than on punishing the wrong doer.
“I have no doubt the people of Marsabit will welcome this Alternative Justice System and embrace it as the most speedy, inexpensive and non-adversarial path to justice and dispute resolution,” the governor said
He pledged to support in popularizing the AJS system and also offer support to the Judiciary to establish structures and spaces for the implementation of Alternative Justice System in Marsabit county
