Kenol Court Case Clearance at 81.3 Percent, AJS Embraced

Kenol: Kenol court cases clearance stands at 81.3 percent, and the court ranks as one of the best-performing courts in the country regarding excellence in the delivery of justice. Senior Resident Magistrate Sheila Nyagah observed that since its operationalization on November 12, 2022, the court has had a case workload of 9,094 as the total filed cases and that a total number of 7,397 cases had been fully resolved and closed.

According to Kenya News Agency, as of January 21, 2025, the court had handled a total of 9,094 cases, of which 7,397 have been fully resolved and closed, and the pending case load currently stands at 1,697 cases. Sheila Nyagah stated during a Court Users Committee (CUC) meeting at Kenol Law Courts that the court's case clearance, therefore, stands at 81.3 percent.

The Magistrate further noted that the court has now fully embraced the multi-door policy regarding the alternative justice system (AJS) as a way of resolving cases to clear the backlog in the court. Of the 77 matters referred to the AJS, 29 have been fully finalized and settled, while 48 matters are still pending.

The court also introduced mediation in 2023 to reduce the case backlog and ensure a speedy resolution of disputes. A total of 56 cases have been referred for mediation, and out of these, 37 have been concluded, leaving only 19 pending matters at the mediation registry.

Nyagah further lauded the AJS panel, which includes elders, sub-chiefs, chiefs, the DCC offices in Murang'a South and Ithanga, the ODPP, and lawyers for facilitating the resolution of disputes that would have otherwise burdened the court had they taken a formal route. She mentioned that Kenol town, being a rapidly expanding business hub, looks forward to having a small claims court and court-annexed mediation to enhance speedy resolution of disputes in the future.

Kenol Law Courts serve Ithanga and Murang'a South sub-counties and have two resident magistrates and one in charge of mahakama popote.